Li Fang

Li Fang (925–996), courtesy name Mingyuan, was a native of Raoyang in Shenzhou (present-day Raoyang, Hengshui, Hebei). A prominent chancellor and man of letters from the Five Dynasties to the early Northern Song, he passed the imperial examination during the Qianyou era of the Later Han and served the Later Han, Later Zhou, and Northern Song, rising to the post of Tong Pingzhangshi and receiving the posthumous title Wenzheng. He long presided over the compilation of major works, leading the production of the three great encyclopedias Taiping Yulan, Taiping Guangji, and Wenyuan Yinghua, and took part in compiling the Old History of the Five Dynasties. Taiping Guangji drew widely on unofficial histories, tales of the marvelous, and records of the strange from the Han and Tang through the early Song, preserving a wealth of folk narrative and classical fiction; Taiping Yulan classified and collected works from the classics, histories, and various schools, making it an important encyclopedic source. In poetry and prose he followed Bai Juyi and was a representative of the "Bai-style" poets. His editorial work exerted a profound influence on later literature and scholarship; five related works are held in the collection.