Xu Yuan (poet)

Xu Yuan (Chinese: 徐媛; pinyin: Xú Yuàn; Wade–Giles: Hsü Yüan, c. 1560 - 1620), courtesy name name Xiaoshu(小淑), was a Ming dynasty child prodigy and poet during the reign of the Wanli Emperor (1563–1620). Born in Suzhou to the imperial retainer Xu Shitai, she became regarded as one of the foremost female poets from Suzhou. She married fellow poet Fan Yunlin, who held various official posts in the Ming Dynasty. Xu Yuan often accompanied her husband to where he was assigned and left behind poems detailing her experiences. She retired in her native Suzhou along with her husband, who published a collection of her poetry and prose in 1613. Xu Yuan was known for her poetry to other women such as the courtesan and artist Xue Susu which often described their physical beauty and used intimate language.