Liang Zhangju

Liang Zhangju (1775–1849), courtesy names Hongzhong and Chilin, literary names Chilin and, in later years, Tui'an, was a native of Fuzhou, Fujian. A prominent official, scholar, and man of letters during the Jiaqing and Daoguang reigns of the Qing dynasty, he passed the imperial examination as a jinshi in 1806 and rose to serve as governor of Jiangsu and Guangxi, actively supporting Lin Zexu's anti-opium and anti-British efforts. He wrote more than seventy works and is especially known for creating the "Lianhua" genre of writings on couplets. His Y联lian Conghua, Lianlian Xuhua, and Lianlian Sanhua were later compiled into the Complete Collection of Lianlian Conghua, preserving and commenting on a wealth of couplet works and deeply influencing their organization and transmission. His notebooks, such as Langji Congtan and Its Sequels, Guitian Suoji, and Tui'an Suibi, record anecdotes, social customs, and reading reflections in a plain style rich in documentary value, and are often classified under Eastern philosophy and folk literature.