Writers › Writer / Poet
Lady Mu of Xu
Princess of Wei and Duchess of Xu in the Spring and Autumn Period, earliest recorded female patriotic poet in Chinese history, author of 'Zai Chi' in the Classic of Poetry.
In a study at night, a desk holds a brush pot, a porcelain vase with a plum branch, a lit red lantern, a folded fan and an unrolled blank scroll, with no one seated there, while through a round window the moon rises over a lake with a sailboat.
Also known as Lady of Xu · Princess of Wei
- Roles
- Writer / Poet
Lady Mu of Xu (c. 690 BCE–640 BCE) was a princess of the State of Wei and the wife of Duke Mu of Xu during the Spring and Autumn period. When Wei was devastated by the Rong-Di invaders, she valiantly rode out to assist her homeland, composing the enduring masterpiece 'Zai Chi' to rally geopolitical rescue from Duke Huan of Qi. Recognized as the first historically verified female poet in Chinese civilization.
Life and times
Dates c. 690 BCE–640 BCE