Wen Tianxiang, a Renowned Minister

Wen Tianxiang was born in Jiangxi Province. In his youth, he was fond of reading biographies of loyal ministers, and made up his mind to model himself on them. Later, he achieved the first place in the imperial civil examination.

When Kublai Khan's armies approached Lin'an (today's Hangzhou ), the capital  of the Southern Song Dynasty , Wen Tianxiang raised a volunteer force in his home province. Appointed chief negotiator by Southern Song, Wen was detained by the Yuan side, but managed to escape. He was captured once more, and spent three years as a prisoner in the Yuan capital, Dadu (today's Beijing ). It is said that Kublai Khan (Emperor Shizu, founder of the Yuan Dynasty ) offered Wen Tainxiang the post of prime minister if he would defect, but Wen remained loyal to the doomed Southern Song. Wen Tianxiang died in 1283, at the age of 47.

The Song of Integrity, which he wrote behind prison bars, is regarded as a classic  of its kind.