韩愈

Championed the 古文运动 (Classical Prose Movement), rejecting ornate parallel prose in favor of the clear, direct style of Zhou and Han classics. Banished to Chaozhou after submitting a memorial criticizing Emperor Xianzong for welcoming a Buddha relic to the palace — 论佛骨表 is still read as a model of political courage.

culture

His essay 师说 is a middle-school staple in Chinese education. The opening line 古之学者必有师 ('ancient scholars always had teachers') is routinely quoted on Teachers' Day.