Liu Yiqing

Liu Yiqing, courtesy name Jibo, was a member of the Southern Song imperial clan and a man of letters from Pengcheng (present-day Xuzhou, Jiangsu). He inherited the title Prince of Linchuan and served in posts such as governor of Jingzhou. Of simple temperament and few desires, he liked to gather literary talents around him and presided over the compilation of A New Account of the Tales of the World (Shishuo Xinyu); he also wrote the Youming Lu and other works. As public information on details of his life, including his birth and death years, is limited, his image emerges mainly through his writings. Shishuo Xinyu records in note form the words and deeds of scholars from the late Han to the Eastern Jin, with concise and memorable language that captures character in a few phrases; it has had a lasting influence on later note-style fiction and literati aesthetics. Dozens of related works are held in the collection, commonly classified under classical literature, literary appreciation, and Eastern philosophy, showing the continued circulation of his writings in later reading and research.