Han Yu, courtesy name Tuizhi, was a Chinese scholar, poet, and government official during the Tang dynasty who significantly influenced the development of Neo-Confucianism. Described as "comparable in stature to Dante, Shakespeare or Goethe" for his influence on the Chinese literary tradition, Han Yu stood for strong central authority in politics and orthodoxy in cultural matters.
He is often considered to be among China's finest prose writers. Ming dynasty scholar Mao Kun ranked him first among the "Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song".