Zhang Yan (1248-1320), also known as Shuxia, also known as Yutian, and in his later years, he was known as Lexiaoweng. His ancestral home is Fengxiang, Shaanxi. The sixth generation ancestor Zhang Jun was a famous general in the Song Dynasty. His father, Zhang Shu, was an important member of the "Xihu Yin Society". He had a wonderful understanding of music and rhythm, and had close friendship with famous poets. Zhang Yan was a descendant of Xungui. He lived in Lin'an for the first half of his life and lived a prosperous life. However, after the death of Song Dynasty, his family fell into decline and he wandered around in his later years. He is the author of "Ci of Baiyun in the Mountains", with 302 poems in existence. Another important contribution of Zhang Yan is the creation of China's earliest word theory monograph "Etymology", which summarizes and sorts out the main artistic ideas and achievements of the elegant style of poetry in the late Song Dynasty, among which "emptiness" and "elegance" are the main propositions.
