Writers › Writer / Poet
Ren Fang
Liang-dynasty man of letters, one of the Eight Friends of Jingling, famed for official prose and often paired with Shen Yue as the master of prose to Shen's verse.
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 Yansheng · Childhood name Adui
Ren Fang, courtesy name Yansheng, was a native of Bochang in Le'an and a leading writer of the Qi and Liang. One of the Eight Friends of Prince Xiao Ziliang of Jingling, he served as Erudite of Ceremonies, record-keeping officer to the prince, Palace Attendant Secretary and governor of Yixing and Xin'an. He excelled at memorials and official prose, such as his impeachment of Fan Zhen. The Shuyi Ji is traditionally credited to him, and his other works include the Zazhuan, Dizhi and Wenzhang Yuanqi, with a collected works in twenty-three scrolls.
Life and times
Dates 460–508 CE