Liu Tingyan is a Chinese author about whom little public information is available. All that is currently known is that he wrote a work of classical poetry titled Three Hundred Recitations. According to the available records, he belongs to the common category of classical poetry, and although his output is small, it is enough to draw attention to his practice in traditional poetic forms. The title Three Hundred Recitations suggests that the work may consist chiefly of recitations, possibly numbering three hundred pieces and carrying the traditional sense of linked poetic recitation. As his dates of birth and death, native place, and life experience are not clearly recorded, little more can be said about his life or the background of his writing. For readers today, the most direct way to know Liu Tingyan is to read Three Hundred Recitations and to appreciate his poetic style through its language, imagery, and feeling. Further study of this author will depend on the discovery of more documents and historical sources.
