Zhuo Zhang

Zhang Zhuo was a Chinese writer of the Tang period, thought to have lived around 658 to 730. He came from Shenzhou, in what is now Hebei, and is best known for Chaoye qianzai, a collection of stories written in the biji, or “brush-notes,” style.

He is also credited with Longjin fengsui pan and You xianku. You xianku is especially notable because it is often described as an early example, or even a prototype, of extended Chinese prose fiction.

Surviving reference works suggest that his reputation spread widely, and later sources remembered him as a sharp, talented stylist whose writings were admired beyond China as well. For readers today, he stands out as one of the figures linking anecdotal writing, literary prose, and the early development of Chinese fiction.