The poetry of the Ming dynasty has been relatively neglected in scholarship of the past century, and the 'Archaist' poets of the middle Ming especially so. This book attempts to redress this neglect by presenting by far the most detailed treatment available in any language of the life, milieu, and work of Ho Ching-ming (1483-1521). While Ho's participation in the Archaist circle of Li Meng-yang in his youth is confirmed, the later development of his ideas is shown to move toward a stance usually thought more representative of the following century. The book also argues that 'May Fourth' accounts of the pre-modern literary tradition are seriously flawed and require replacement.