Zang Maoxun

Who is Zang Maoxun?

Zang Maoxun was a playwright and drama theorist from Changxing, Zhejiang Province, China of the Ming Dynasty. His courtesy name was Jinshu and he may also be known by the pseudonym, Guzhu. He successfully achieved the rank of Jinshi in 1580. He was matriculated as a local governmental official in Jingzhou, and was later promoted as an officer in Guozijian of Nanjing. He knew the Five Classics very well and was a person uninhibited in speech and behavior. Zang disdained the feudal ethical code and was dissatisfied with affairs of the state. As often pointed out the political problems in the society in the way of poetry at the moment, he was impeached by the imperial court and dismissed from office in 1585 Wanli 13. After returning to his hometown, Zang entertained himself with poetry and remained an intimate association with many men of letters. He collected the missing yuanqu and poems. He also published a lot of books, including Selections of Yuanqu, Selections of poems which granted him lasting fame for posterity.