Jiao Hong

Jiao Hong (1540–1620), courtesy name Ruohou, and pseudonym Zhanyuan, was a Chinese philosopher and historian of the late Ming dynasty. Jiao Hong was a native of Nanjing. At the age of 25, he passed the provincial examination and got the Juren degree. However, it would take him another 25 years to pass the imperial examination in 1589. He obtained the first rank (Zhuangyuan) and was appointed Xiuzhuan of the Hanlin Academy. Jiao Hong had the opinion that man was the most important factor in history. He therefore compiled volumes of biographies of Ming period persons, named Guochao xianzheng lu, which is considered as an important addendum to the official History of Ming. Other important writings of him include Danyuan ji, Danyuan xuji, Jiaoshi bicheng, Jiaoshi leilin, Yutang congyu, Laozi yi, Zhuangzi yi, and Sushu kanwu.