Ch’in Kuan (1049–1100)

Ch’in Kuan, from Kao-yu, Chiang-su, was considered one of the four major disciples of Su Shih and became his favorite. He is best remembered as an outstanding tz’u poet. Many of his poems express love themes—thus the popular image of him as a romantic personality. A number of his most famous pieces combine the vicissitudes of love with a deep melancholy and feelings of self-commiseration stemming from his frustrating official career. Ch’in first met Su Shih in 1077 in Hsü-chou and impressed him with a fu rhapsody, which Su likened to the work of Ch’ü Yüan and Sung Yü.