Liu Kezhuang (, 1187–1269), was a

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

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poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

and literary critic. He is credited with selecting the first version of the

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"Poems by a Thousand Masters" ( :zh:千家詩 sometimes also known as "Poems of the Masters"). In later versions of the anthology, two of his poems are included. Liu is considered the most important member of the "Rivers and Lakes (江湖詩派 jiānghú shīpăi)" group of poets. This group of poets favoured subjects from everyday life and rejected the refined language and courtly themes of the Kangxi school. Several thousand of his shī poems (詩) survive, and very many of his cí poems (詞) survive as well. During his life, Liu occupied several low-level posts in the administration; it appears that his use of poetry for social criticism got in the way of his advancement.

References

* Poems of the Masters, translated by Red Pine, Copper Canyon Press, 2003 * The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature, volume 1, ed. William H. Nienhauser Jr. * The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature, volume 1, edited by Kang-I Sun Chang and Stephen Owen, Cambridge University Press, 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Kezhuang 1187 births 1269 deaths Song dynasty poets People from Putian Poets from Fujian 13th-century Chinese poets