Zhang Hua

Zhang Hua (232–300), courtesy name Maoxian, was a native of Fangcheng in Fanyang (present-day Gu'an, Hebei) and a politician, man of letters, and book collector of the Western Jin dynasty. A scholar of wide learning, he compiled Bowuzhi, China's first work of natural history, and also wrote such pieces as "Ode to the Wren" and "Admonitions for Women." Bowuzhi records mountains and rivers, geography, strange creatures, anecdotes, and legends, combining the study of natural curiosities with tales of the strange; it deeply influenced later note-style fiction and writings on folklore and the supernatural, and is often read alongside the note-style fiction of the Han, Wei, and Six Dynasties. In the first year of Yongkang (300), he was killed by Sima Lun, Prince of Zhao. Because public sources on the details of his life are limited, his works are noted for spanning classical literature, cultural folklore, and medicine; representative titles also include Bowuzhi (with Seven Other Works), A Grand View of Han-Wei and Six Dynasties Note-Style Fiction, Chinese Wisdom Stories—Classic Chinese Stories, and A Biography of Zhang Jian.