Meng Haoran, a native of Xiangyang in Xiangzhou (today's Xiangfan of Hubei Province), was a well-known idyllist of the Tang Dynasty.

Meng Haoran spent his first half of life attending his parents and reading books for self-ease. Later he lived in recluse in the Lumen Mountain for some time. At forty he traveled to the capital and took the imperial exam, which resulted in failure and he returned to Xiangyang. Thereafter, he traveled around the Wu and Yue region, viewing the beautiful landscape and dispelling the depression caused by failed political career.

Men Haoran's works are mostly five-word short poems. The subject matter is quite narrow, mainly focused on the description of landscapes, pastorals, reclusive or travel life, etc.