Han Yu (; 768–824), born in Nanyang, Henan, China, was a precursor of Neo-Confucianism as well as an essayist and poet from the Tang dynasty. He has been described as "comparable in stature to Dante, Shakespeare or Goethe" for his influence on the Chinese literary tradition. He stood for strong central authority in politics and orthodoxy in cultural matters. He was also considered to be among China's finest prose writers, second only to Sima Qian, and first among the "Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song" in a list compiled by Ming Dynasty scholar Mao Kun (茅坤).