Qian Tao

Tao Qian (365–427), better known as Tao Yuanming, was a Chinese poet and government official of the Eastern Jin and Liu Song periods. Born in Chaisang, in modern-day Jiangxi, he served in government several times before becoming disillusioned with political corruption and court life.

Around 405, he resigned his final post and returned to his farm, where he spent the last two decades of his life in retirement. His poems and prose celebrate nature, honest work, friendship, wine, and the quiet dignity of choosing one’s own path. He is especially remembered for Account of the Peach Blossom Spring and for helping establish the tradition of “Fields and Gardens” poetry.