Lü Buwei

Lü Buwei (c. 292–235 BCE) was a native of Puyang in the State of Wei and a merchant and statesman in the late Warring States period. Backing Prince Yiren of Qin's return to his homeland and succession on the principle of "hoarding a rare commodity," he later served as Chancellor of Qin, was enfeoffed as Marquis Wenxin, and assisted King Zhuangxiang and the young King Zheng of Qin. The Lüshi Chunqiu, compiled by his retainers, draws on the various schools and is a representative work of the Miscellany school; the catalogue holds several of his works, spanning Eastern philosophy, prose and miscellaneous writings, and classic works. After his conflict with King Zheng intensified, he was dismissed, exiled to Shu, and took poison. Details of his life are limited in public sources, yet his book had a profound influence on pre-Qin thought and textual scholarship.