Su Zhe

Su Zhe (1039–1112), courtesy names Ziyou and Tongshu, later styled Yingbin Yilao, was a native of Meishan in Meizhou (present-day Meishan, Sichuan). A writer, poet, and statesman of the Northern Song dynasty, he is counted among the Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song. Together with his father Su Xun and elder brother Su Shi, he is known as one of the "Three Su," and he exerted considerable influence in both the literary and political spheres of the Song. He served as Censor-in-Chief, Vice Minister of the Right of the Department of State Affairs, and Vice Minister of the Chancellery, held the office of chancellor for seven years, and was later repeatedly demoted; he retired to Xuchang and devoted himself to writing. His works span classics, historical reading, and Eastern philosophy, and include the Luancheng ji, Longchuan lüezhi, Longchuan biezhi, and Tang lun, as well as the San Su wenxuan associated with his father and brother. His prose is steady and plain, excels in argument and narrative, and carries both literary and historical value.