Xue Tao was regarded as one of "the four great female poets of the Tang Dynasty" along with Yu Xuanji, Li Ye and Liu Caichun.
10 Facts About Xue Tao
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Xue Tao was born in Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, and migrated with her parents to the State of Shu in her youth.
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Xue Tao was registered with the guild of courtesans and entertainers in Chengdu and in time became well known for her wit and her poetic talent.
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Xue Tao's poetry attracted the attention of Wei Gao, the military governor of Xichuan Circuit and she was made his official hostess.
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In later years, Xue Tao was able to live independently in a site outside the city associated with the great poet of an earlier generation, Du Fu.
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The letterheads made by Xue Tao facilitate the timely storage of poetic inspiration.
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The letter paper made by Xue Tao was later called "Xue Tao Jian".
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Xue Tao was a calligrapher, and her calligraphy inherited Wei Zhi's "Wuyun" style running script in the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
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Xue Tao was the first female innovator in the history of Chinese calligraphy, she is a female innovator in the history of Chinese papermaking.
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Some 5000 poems by Xue Tao were gathered in The Brocade River Collection that survived until the 14th century.