Wu Qing’an, also known as Wu Yun, distinguished himself when he was still a boy. A taishi (court historian) by the name of Ge was impressed by his writing and asked a friend to invite Wu to his residence.
Yang Yuwei had moved to a house by the bank of the Sishui River. His study faced an open wilderness. Outside the wall were many ancient tombs. At night, winds blew through white poplar trees, setting them to roaring like sea waves.