Liu Yung

(also Ch’ang-ch’ing and San-pien). Born in 987; died in 1053. Chinese poet.

Liu served as a salt inspector in the coastal provinces, where he wrote the poem “Song of the Salt Workers” about the hard lot of the people. Liu Yung is the creator of the tz’u lyrical romance, in which he celebrates youth and love (“The Butterfly Loves the Flower”) and praises the beauty of the cities of K’aifeng and Hangchou. In such poems as “I Gaze Into the Distance” he laments the approach of old age and loneliness. Imbued with love of humanity and sincerity, his tz’u are rich in metaphors and other tropes, dialogue, and contrasts. Liu Yung became the hero of numerous tales and dramas.