Wu Jingzi

Wu Jingzi (1701–1754) was a Qing dynasty literatus and novelist, courtesy name Minxuan and style name Limin, a native of Quanjiao, Anhui. Born into an official family, he later experienced a family property dispute and repeated failures in the imperial examinations, moved to Nanjing, and made a living by writing. Over nearly twenty years he wrote the long satirical novel The Scholars (Rulin Waishi), which vividly portrays the world of scholars and officials with a cool, finely observed style and laid the foundation of classical Chinese satire. His works are commonly classified under social fiction and classical literature, and he also wrote the Wenmu Shantang Collection. The library holds 43 of his works, including multiple editions and volumes of The Scholars. Public information on the details of his life is limited, and scholarship tends to focus on the themes, satirical style, and literary influence of The Scholars.