The Sanqu poetry writer Yuan Haowen was also known as Yishan or "Yuan of Yi Mountain." He had served the Jin in a variety of posts, but at its demise he no longer sought official appointments. For a time he was a destitute wanderer. He was the greatest living literary figure of his period, excelling at various genres. His ci poetry is said to be the best of Jin period writers
Background
Yuan Haowen was a descendant of the royal clan of the Tuoba, a formerly nomadic group that ruled northern China from the late 4th century to the mid-6th century, and he grew up a loyal subject of the Jin.His father experienced disappointments in life and later led a secluded existence. However he passed on his taste for literature to his son. An uncle who was a government official took the young Yuan along on his official journeys, thus introducing him to some well known places and scenery. He could compose poetry by age seven leading people to refer to him as a child prodigy. His uncle also saw to it that he study with the best teachers.
Career
Born at the height of the Jin Dynasty, he experienced the social unrest and war at the decline of the dynasty. He fled to Henan with his mother when the Jin regime moved their capital. He had served the Jin in a variety of posts, but when the Jin Dynasty gave way in favor of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty he no longer sought official appointments and went into retirement. In June, 1233, Yuan Haowen was captured and compelled to go to Shandong. For a time he was a destitute wanderer. His growing literary fame seems to have afforded a relatively comfortable and peaceful living, in contrast to the incessant warfare of the period. Yuan spent the rest of his life working strenuously to preserve the legacy of the Jin dynasty.