Xue Tao

Xue Tao was the daughter of a minor government official in Chang'an, which was the Chinese capital during the Tang Dynasty. Her father, Xue Yun (薛郧) was transferred to Chengdu, when she was still little, or possibly before her birth. Her father died while she was young, but it's possible that she had some literary education from him;[2] her adult career also offered her the opportunity to learn from practicing poets.

Since the girl's mother did not return to Chang'an, it is possible that they were too poor to do so. Xue was registered with the guild of Yijis and entertainers in Chengdu and in time became well known for her wit and her poetic talent.[2]

Her poetry attracted the attention of Wei Gao, the military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan) and she was made his official hostess. In this position she met poets like Yuan Zhen, to whom she was said to have become close; at the very least, this story indicates the charisma of both figures. Certainly, she exchanged poems with Yuan and many other well-known writers of the day,[2] and continued as hostess after Wei's death.

When Wu Yuanheng became governor in 807, she presented him with two poems. Wu was so impressed that he asked the Emperor to appoint Xue as an editor (jiaoshu) in his office. This was an unusual request as Xue was both a woman and a government Yiji. Although Xue was never given the position, she became known as the "female editor". Later "editor" became a euphemism for a Yiji or Geji.[3]

In later years, Xue was able to live independently in a site outside the city[2] associated with the great poet of an earlier generation, Du Fu. Some sources record that she supported herself as a maker of artisanal paper used for writing poems. A contemporary wrote that she took on the garments of a Daoist adept, signaling a relatively autonomous status within Tang society.

Hsueh Tʻao, a Venusian crater, is named after her.[6]

Some 450 poems by Xue were gathered in The Brocade River Collection that survived until the 14th century. About 100 of her poems are known nowadays,[2] which is more than of any other Tang dynasty woman. They range widely in tone and topic, giving evidence of a lively intelligence and deep knowledge of the great tradition of earlier Chinese poetry.[7]

• Appenzeller, Immo (2012). Transactions of the International Astronomical Union: Proceeding of the Twenty-Second General Assembly, The Hague 1994. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9789400901636.
• Jia, Jinhua (2018). Gender, Power, and Talent: The Journey of Daoist Priestesses in Tang China. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231545495.
• Larsen, Jeanne (1983). The Chinese Poet Xue Tao: The Life and Works of a Mid-Tang Woman. (unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Iowa)
• Larsen, Jeanne, translator (1987). Brocade River Poems: Selected Works of the Tang Dynasty Courtesan Xue Tao. Princeton University Press. (with introduction and notes)
• Larsen, Jeanne, translator (2005). Willow, Wine, Mirror, Moon: Women's Poems from Tang China. BOA Editions, Ltd. (contains translations of seven more poems by Xue, with notes)
• Lee, Lily Xiao Hong; Wiles, Sue (2014). Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Tang Through Ming, 618-1644. M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 9780765643162.
• Ma, Maoyuan, "Xue Tao". Encyclopedia of China (Chinese Literature Edition), 1st ed.
• Yu, Lu (September 2010). Readings Of Chinese Poet Xue Tao (Thesis). University of Massachusetts Amherst.
• "Xue Tao" from Other Women's voices, Translations of women's writing before 1700, last accessed June 4, 2007

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Xue Tao.

• Translation of poetry by Xue Tao