Northern Song Dynasty Poet Mei Zhi' s Life, Writings and Circle of Friends

Mei Zhi was not a poet of great renown, but an honest and upright official in Northern Song Dynasty. He was good at writing poems and essays,most of which were scattered and lost. His life can be traced according to his contemporary historical records and collected works of some celebrities. In 1057, he acted as one of the chief examiners of the imperial civil examination. He not only wrote and responded poems with Ouyang Xiu, Mei Yaochen,Han Qi,Wen Yanbo,Wang Gui,and so on,but also made friends with Wang Anshi and his father, Wang Yi. All of those exerted great influence in the history.