Maechang (Yi Maechang)

Yi Maechang was a gisaeng (female entertainer) and poet from Buan, active during the reign of King Seonjo in the Joseon dynasty. Her given name was Hyanggeum, and she was also known by names such as Maechang, Gyesaeng, and Gyerang; she was the daughter of Yi Tang-jong, a local clerk of Buan County. She associated with the poet Yu Hui-gyeong and the writer Heo Gyun, leaving behind sijo and poems in Classical Chinese that were later collected in the anthology Maechangjip. Despite the constraints of her social status, her literary talent made her one of the representative figures of women's literature in the Joseon period.