Elizabeth Smithrosser is an historian of late imperial China, currently based at the Leiden Institute for Area Studies, Leiden University.
Su Shi (1037-1101), to whom Miscellaneous Stories of Master Mugwort has traditionally been attributed, was a scholar-official during the Northern Song period and is one of the most prominent figures in the history of Chinese literature.
Lu Cai (1497-1537) was a traveling playwright and diarist active across the vibrant cities of the Yangtze River Delta during the mid-Ming period.
Tu Benjun (1542-1622) was an encyclopedia compiler and humorist from the modern-day Ningbo region during the late Ming period.