Liu E

Liu E (1857–1909), courtesy name Tieyun and sobriquet Laocan, was a native of Dantu, Jiangsu, and a late Qing novelist and versatile scholar. His best-known work, The Travels of Lao Can, is a representative novel of exposure from the late Qing. Written in the manner of a travelogue that strings together episodes and observations, it has a coolly ironic tone and exposes many abuses in officialdom and the social scene, occupying an important place in the transition from classical fiction to modern narrative. Beyond fiction, Liu E was versed in water conservancy, mathematics, and medicine, and he compiled and printed Tieyun's Store of Tortoise Shells, the first catalogue of oracle bone inscriptions, making a pioneering contribution to the preservation and study of ancient script materials. In 1908 he was falsely accused and exiled to Xinjiang, and the following year he died of illness in Urumqi. His works range widely across social manners, satire, and miscellaneous writings; his language is concise, and his writings hold both literary and historical value, remaining important texts for the study of late Qing society and the evolution of fiction.