[quote=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qu_Yuan]Qu
Yuan[/quote]
Qu Yuan was a minister in the government of the state of Chu,
descended of nobility and a champion of political loyalty and truth
eager to maintain the Chu state's sovereignty. Qu Yuan advocated a
policy of alliance with the other kingdoms of the period against
the hegemonic state of Qin, which threatened to dominate them all.
The Chu king, however, fell under the influence of other corrupt,
jealous ministers who slandered Qu Yuan, and banished his most
loyal counselor. It is said that Qu Yuan returned first to his
family's home town. In his exile, he spent much of this time
collecting legends and rearranging folk odes while travelling the
countryside, producing some of the greatest poetry in Chinese
literature while expressing his fervent love for his state and his
deepest concern for its future.
