author

Pingzhong Kong

1044–1111

A Northern Song writer and official, he is remembered for lively prose, historically rich anecdotal works, and poetry that could be both elegant and sharply observant. He was also the most prolific member of the literary trio known as the “Three Kongs.”

1 Audiobook

續世說

續世說

by Pingzhong Kong

About the author

Born in 1044 and traditionally identified as a native of present-day Xiajiang in Jiangxi, he built a career as both a scholar-official and a man of letters during the Northern Song dynasty. He earned the jinshi degree in 1065 and went on to hold a series of government posts, though his career was also shaped by demotion and exile during the factional struggles of the period.

He is especially known for works such as Xu Shishuo, Kongshi Tanyuan, and Henghuang Xinlun. Sources describe him as strong in historical writing and polished prose, and his poems are noted for combining graceful style with real social content.

Together with his brothers Kong Wenzhong and Kong Wuzhong, he was celebrated as one of the “Three Kongs,” a family group famous for literary achievement in the Song era. In the surviving Qingjiang San Kong Ji, his writings make up the largest share, which helps explain why he remains the best-known of the three today.