Wang Jian c.766 - c.830

From present-day Henan, Wang obtained his jinshi degree in 775 and held various minor government posts. He frequently exchanged poems with his friend, the poet Zhang Ji 張籍 (766-829), and they both played a significant role in popularizing the new yuefu 樂府 in the early 9th century. Wang is probably best known for his poems on life in the palace which are collected in his Gongci baishou 宮詞百首 [One hundred palace poems].

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