Zhao Mengfu (style name Ziang, sobriquet Songxue daoren) was a native of Wuxing in Zhejiang. A scion of the Song imperial family, he was recruited by and took up office under the following Yuan dynasty as a Hanlin Academician. He excelled at calligraphy as well as painting, becoming one of the most respected masters of his time and a leader of Yuan dynasty art circles.