Liu Zongyuan
In addition to his political achievements, Wang Anshi was a noted poet. He wrote poems in the "shi" form, modeled on those of Du Fu. He was later ranked number seven among the "Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song" (). He was an adherent of the Classical Prose Movement championed by Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan, first and second of the Eight Masters of the Tang and Song respectively. His poetry often included social themes along with the traditional observations of nature.