Liu Rushi, also known as Yang Ai (楊愛), Liu Shi (柳是), Liu Yin (柳隱),Yang Yinlian (楊影憐) and Hedong Jun (河東君), was a Chinese Gējì, poet and writer in the late Ming dynasty and early Qing dynasty.
1847 portrait of Liu Rushi, ink on paper, by Lu Ji and Cheng Tinglu
Tomb of Liu Rushi, on Mount Yu, Changshu
Tombstone
A Gējì or Geji is a female professional performer of song and dance in ancient China. The modern term "Yiji (艺妓)" is not used in ancient Chinese sources. The modern expression "Yiji (艺妓)" in Chinese may have been first seen in the novel "The Ancient House" by Wang Xiyan.The modern expression "Yiji(藝妓)" in Chinese may also have appeared earlier in Taiwan's Alias for Yidan(藝旦) during the Japanese occupation.
Court Gējìs of the Former Shu by Tang Yin (1470-1524)