Xie Lingyun (385–433 CE) was a celebrated poet of the Liu Song dynasty during the Southern Dynasties period. Born in Yangxia, Chen Commandery (modern-day Taikang, Henan), his family had long resided in Kuaiji (centered on present-day Shaoxing, Zhejiang).
As a child, he was raised by his maternal relatives, and thus his clan nicknamed him “Ke’er” (“Guest-Child”), leading to his common sobriquet “Xie Ke.” He was the grandson of Xie Xuan, the famed Eastern Jin general who played a key role in the Battle of Fei River.
During the Eastern Jin dynasty, Xie Lingyun inherited the noble title Duke of Kangle, and was therefore also known as “Xie Kang-le.” After the establishment of the Liu Song dynasty, he held several official posts, including Prefect of Yongjia, Attendant in Ordinary (Shizhong), and Administrator of Linchuan.
However, due to political tensions and accusations of “rebellion” – likely stemming from his outspokenness and aristocratic pride – he was eventually executed in 433 CE.
Xie Lingyun is renowned as one of the founding figures of Chinese landscape poetry. Along with his younger kinsman Xie Tiao, he is collectively referred to as the “Greater and Lesser Xie”; together with Yan Yanzhi, he forms the celebrated duo “Yan and Xie”.
Wherever he traveled – especially in Kuaiji, Yongjia (modern Wenzhou), and Mount Lu – he composed poems inspired by the scenery, using exquisitely refined and vivid language to depict mountains, rivers, springs, and forests. His style was praised by later critics such as Zhong Rong in Shi Pin (Grades of Poets) as “like a lotus rising from clear water” – natural, fresh, and unadorned yet luminous.
One of his most famous lines, “By the pond spring grasses sprout; in the garden willows, singing birds change their tunes,” has been cherished for centuries for its subtle evocation of seasonal transformation.
His literary legacy was compiled by Ming dynasty scholars into the Collected Works of Xie Kang-le (Xie Kang-le Ji), later included in the anthology One Hundred and Thirty Masters of Han, Wei, and the Six Dynasties.
A passionate traveler, Xie Lingyun even invented a special type of wooden clog with detachable heels – one height for ascending hills, another for descending – known thereafter as “Xie Gong Ji” (“Master Xie’s Clogs”), symbolizing his deep devotion to exploring nature.
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