Xu Song

Xu Song was a Chinese official exiled to Central Asia during the period of the military governorship of Xinjiang of Songyun (1802 to 1809). He was prominent with Wang Tingkai and Qi Yunshi among the officials employed by Songyun to compile his gazetteer of Xinjiang. In 1815–16 Xu explored the region as part of his work on the gazetteer project, visiting the Buddhist cave site at Dunhuang and other historic sites. Later he published his notes on his travels in the western regions of Chinese Empire. In the tradition of exile poetry, Xu Song also published a book of poetry about Xinjiang. He was also a scholar of the Song dynasty history and compiled the Song Huiyao Jigao, a collection of official documents from the Song period. He served as the Minister of Justice under the Daoguang Emperor and was known for his integrity and loyalty. He died in 1848 at the age of 67.