Liu E

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Liu E (Chinese: 劉鶚; pinyin: Liu E, also spelled Liu O) was born in China, October 1857, in Liu-ho, and died 23 August 1909 in Tihua, Xinjiang.

Liu E was a government functionary, economic proponent, and writer. In the government he worked with flood control, famine relief, and railroads. He became disillusioned with officials ideas of reform and became a proponent of private economic development modeled after western systems.

It was these economic ideas that inspired his literary work Lao Ts'an yu-chi (1907; The Travels of Lao Ts'an). His novel, a social satire that showed the limits of the old elite and officialdom, was an immediate success. Despite this, Liu was framed for malfeasance and exiled, where he died within the next year.

[edit] References

• Encyclopædia Britannica 2005 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD, article- "Liu E"