Yuan Kai (Yüan K'ai) fl.ca.1370

Poet of the early Ming dynasty from present day Shanghai. In his youth he gained something of a reputation as a poet. As an official at court, he incurred the displeasure of the first Emperor of the Ming and soon after resigned. He celebrated this release from officialdom in the poem Dui juhua zui [Drunk in front of chrysanthemums]. An ardent admirer of Du Fu, his poetry is collected in the Hao sou ji [Collection of the old man of the sea].

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