He Zhizhang was a poet of the Tang Dynasty.
He Zhizhang (about 659-about 744), whose courtesy name was Jizhen, called himself Siming Kuangke in his later years, and was a native of Yongxing, Yuezhou (now Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang). A famous poet and calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty.
Introduction to He Zhizhang
He was famous for his poetry when he was young. In the first year of Zhengsheng (695), Wu Zetian became the number one scholar in Yiwei, and was awarded Doctorate of the Four Gates of Guozi and moved to Doctorate of Taichang. Later, he served successively as Minister of Rites, Secretary and Supervisor, and Guest of the Crown Prince.
He was open-minded and uninhibited, and was known as "a smooth talker". He was especially indulgent in his later years, calling himself "Si Ming Kuang Ke" and "Secretary and Supervisor". He retired and returned to his hometown at the age of eighty-six, and passed away. He was a poet in the early Tang Dynasty and a famous calligrapher. Together with Zhang Ruoxu, Zhang Xu and Bao Rong, they are known as the "Four Scholars of Wuzhong".
He Zhizhang's poems are famous for their quatrains. In addition to the music for worshiping gods and the poems made in response to the needs of the gods, his poems describing scenes and expressing feelings are unique in style, fresh and unrestrained, including the two famous poems "Ode to the Willows" and "Book of Return to Hometown". He is very popular and has been recited for thousands of years. Most of his works have been lost, but there are still 19 poems included in the "Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty".