Yu Shinan (July 1 1, 558-638) was born in Yuyao County, Yuezhou (now Zhenming Hechang, Guanhaiwei, Cixi City, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province), the son of calligrapher, writer, poet and politician from the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the son of Prince Chen, and the brother of Yu Shiqi, assistant minister of the Sui Dynasty.
Yu Shinan is good at calligraphy, and he is also known as "the four masters in the early Tang Dynasty" with Ou Yangxun, Chu Suiliang and Xue Qi. Bei Tang Shuchao is one of the four great books in Tang Dynasty and one of the earliest books in China.
Dedication and diligence
Yu Shinan's grandfather, Yu Jian, was an adviser to Wang Shixing in the Liang Dynasty. Father Li Yu, the illegitimate son of Prince Chen Chao, has a high reputation. Yu Shinan's uncle Yu Ji is an assistant minister of the Chen Dynasty. As he had no children, he adopted Yu Ji as his son, so he used the word "Bo Shi".
Yu Shinan is quiet, has no desire, is determined and studies hard. When he was young, he studied under the famous writer Gu and his brother Yu Shiqi. He studied for more than ten years, studied hard and worked tirelessly. Sometimes he didn't wash his face or comb his hair for more than ten days.