Wang Bao (about 513-576), courtesy name Ziyuan, was born in Linyi, Langya, and was a poet and calligrapher in the Southern and Northern Dynasties.
Originally a scholar of the imperial court. During the Liang Dynasty, he wrote poems such as "Yan Ge Xing", which described the hardships of the battle and the bitter cold in the north of the Great Wall. They were widely read and imitated.
In the third year of Emperor Chengsheng's reign (554), the Western Wei army captured Jiangling. He surrendered to Chang'an and never returned to the Southern Dynasties.
After arriving in the north, although his poetic style was still similar to that of Qi and Liang poets, due to the influence of northern life customs, the content of his poems was much more enriched than before, and his style also changed greatly. , wrote many Yuefu poems about frontier fortresses and battles.
There are more than 40 of Wang Bao's poems in existence, most of which were written after arriving in the north. They express the feeling of traveling in the north, the thoughts of the homeland and the customs of the frontier, with a vigorous style. Such as Wang Yan's poems "Crossing Hebei", "Guanshan Moon", etc.
Wang Bao was an influential writer in the Northern Dynasties. He and Yu Xin entered the Northern Dynasties and played an important role in the development of Northern Zhou literature. The original 21 volumes have been lost. The Ming Dynasty compiled "Wang Sikong Collection" to collect his poems.