Tang Yin

Tang Yin (1470–1524), courtesy name Bohu, was a Suzhou painter and poet, one of the Four Masters of Ming. Born into a tavern-keeper's family in Wuxian, he entered Suzhou's scholarly circles and befriended Wen Zhengming.

He took first place in the 1498 Nanjing provincial examinations, but a 1499 examination-leak scandal ended his official career. He refused a clerical post in Zhejiang and returned to Suzhou. There he built his Peach Blossom Hermitage and earned a living painting landscapes and figures.

In 1514 he briefly served the Prince of Ning at Nanchang. He feigned madness to escape after discovering the prince's treason.