Background
Liu was born in present-day Yongji, Shanxi.
柳宗元, 子厚
Liu was born in present-day Yongji, Shanxi.
He has been traditionally classed as one of the Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song. He is also a famous poet. Liu Zongyuan"s civil service career was initially successful.
But, in 805, he fell out of favour with the imperial government because of his association with a failed reformist movement.
He was exiled first to Yongzhou, Hunan, and then to Liuzhou, Guangxi, where he eventually became the city Governor. A park and temple in Liuzhou is dedicated to his memory.
