Emperor Xizong of Tang
Pi Guangye was born in 877, during the reign of Emperor Xizong of Tang. His family was said to have been at Xiangyang for generations. His father Pi Rixiu was a prominent late-Tang poet. At one point, Pi Rixiu served as the assistant to the prefect of Su Prefecture (蘇州, in modern Suzhou, Jiangsu) in military matters, and he settled his family there. Pi Guangye was born at Su Prefecture. It was said that when he was nine, he was already capable of writing.