Boyuan Li

Born in 1867, Li Baojia, better known by his courtesy name Li Boyuan, was a late Qing author from Wujin in Jiangsu. He worked across several forms, including fiction, essays, ballads, poetry, calligraphy, and seal carving, and became especially known as a novelist and editor during a time of rapid social change.

After unsuccessful attempts in the civil service examinations, he moved into journalism and publishing in Shanghai. There he edited newspapers and later founded the fiction magazine Xiuxiang Xiaoshuo (Illustrated Fiction), where his novel Wenming Xiaoshi (Modern Times) appeared in serial form. He is also widely associated with the satirical tradition of late Qing "novels of exposure," using humor and sharp observation to criticize official corruption and social pretension.

Li died in 1906, but his work remains an important window into the final years of the Qing dynasty. His writing is remembered for being energetic, funny, and unsparing about the gap between public ideals and everyday behavior.