Yu Xiangdou

Yu Xiangdou was a Chinese writer, editor and publisher active during the late Ming dynasty, who lived from about 1560 to about 1637. He took over the leadership of his family's printing conglomerate in Jianyang, Fujian, after repeatedly failing the imperial examination, and he was known for including portraits of himself in his publications. He is credited with the novel Journey to the North. His career joined authorship with editing and publishing in the printing centre of Jianyang, and his habit of placing his own portrait in the books he issued makes him unusual among publishers of his period.