Zhou Mi

Also known as Zi Gongjin · Hao Caochuang · Caochuang Xiansheng · Bianyang Xiaoweng

Zhou Mi, courtesy name Gongjin, sobriquet Caochuang, came of a Jinan family whose head had followed the Song court south and settled at Wuxing. He entered office by inherited privilege and served as magistrate of Yiwu among other posts, but after the fall of the Song he refused office and lived out his life on Guixin Street in Hangzhou. His *Old Affairs of Wulin* (*Wulin jiushi*) records the court rituals, street life and festivals of Lin'an, while the *Qidong yeyu* and *Guixin zashi* collect anecdotes of Southern Song public and private life. A skilled lyricist, he was paired with Wu Wenying as the 'two Chuang', and his own lyrics were later gathered as *Caochuang ci*. He also compiled *Juemiao haoci*, an anthology of more than 130 Southern Song lyricists. He died in 1298 and is counted with Wang Yisun, Zhang Yan and Jiang Jie among the four masters of the late Song.