Xue Tao

Xue Tao (, ), courtesy name Hongdu was a courtesan and poet during the Tang dynasty. She was regarded as one of "the four great female poets of the Tang Dynasty" along with Yu Xuanji, Li Ye and Liu Caichun.

Life Xue Tao was born in Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, and migrated with her parents to the State of Shu in her youth. The daughter of a minor government official named Xue Yun , her father died while she was young. Xue Tao was registered with the guild of courtesans and entertainers in Chengdu and in time became well known for her wit and her poetic talent.

Her poetry attracted the attention of Wei Gao, the military governor of Xichuan Circuit (, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan) and she was made his official hostess.

When Wu Yuanheng became governor in 807, she presented him with two poems. Wu was so impressed that he asked the Emperor to appoint Xue as an editor (jiaoshu) in his office. This was an unusual request as Xue Tao was both a woman and a government courtesan. Although Xue Tao was never given the position, she became known as the "female jiaoshu" or niijiaoshu (女校书). Later, "female jiaoshu" used to refer to a talented courtesan. Xue Tao was the first female innovator in the history of Chinese calligraphy, she is also a female innovator in the history of Chinese papermaking. A contemporary wrote that she took on the garments of a Daoist adept, signaling a relatively autonomous status within Tang society.

Hsueh Tao, a Venusian crater, is named after her.

Poems Some 5000 poems by Xue were gathered in The Brocade River Collection that survived until the 14th century. Around 90 of her poems are still extant today, which is more than of any other Tang dynasty woman.