During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, there was a renowned literary figure in the State of Chu named Song Yu, also known as Zi Yuan. He was celebrated as one of the top ten most handsome men in ancient China. A native of Yan (present-day Yicheng, Hubei), Song Yu was a descendant of the royal family of the State of Song and a literary figure of Chu, also counted among the four most beautiful men of ancient China.

Pang Tong, styled Shi Yuan, known as "Feng Chu" (Young Phoenix), was a native of Xiangyang, Jingzhou (present-day Xiangyang, Hubei) during the Han Dynasty, and a renowned strategist of the late Eastern Han period. In his youth, Pang Tong was simple and honest, though he did not appear particularly intelligent. At that time, Sima Hui of Yingchuan was known for his refined character and skill in judging people. When Pang Tong was twenty, he went to pay his respects. Sima Hui sat in a mulberry tree picking leaves, while Pang Tong sat beneath it.

During the Tang Dynasty, there was a famous poet named Du Fu, styled Zimei, who styled himself "the Old Wild Man of Shaoling." He was a great realist poet of the Tang Dynasty, and, together with Li Bai, was known as "Li and Du." Born in Gong County, Henan, his ancestral home was Xiangyang, Hubei.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Chu and Han states were locked in a struggle for supremacy. Xiang Yu held the upper hand. In the early stages of the Chu-Han contention, he enjoyed a significant advantage with a large army and many generals, causing Liu Bang great fear.

During the Spring and Autumn period, in the state of Lu, there lived a man named Kong Qiu (Kongzi), of the Zi family, Kong clan, styled Zhongni. He was the founder of the Confucian school of thought.

During the reign of Emperor Qi Gao (Xiao Daocheng), an extraordinary calligraphy contest took place within the imperial palace. One of the contestants was Emperor Xiao Daocheng himself. Originally a general of the imperial guard, Xiao somehow developed a passion for calligraphy.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a renowned recluse named Lin Bu (courtesy name Junfu), a Han Chinese from Huangxian Village in Dali, Zhejiang (some sources say Qiantang, Hangzhou). From childhood, he studied diligently and mastered the classics, histories, and various schools of thought.

In 1728, Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty established the "Zhengyin Shuguan" (Correct Pronunciation Academy) to promote Beijing Mandarin nationwide. He issued an edict ordering Fujian and Guangdong provinces to adopt the common language of the Han Chinese (formerly known as "Guanhua" or "official speech"), and stipulated that "candidates for the imperial examinations—juren (provincial graduates), shengyuan (scholars), gongjian (tribute students), and tongsheng (juvenile students)—who are not proficient in Guanhua shall not be permitted to take the exams."

Yang Jian (541–604), a Han Chinese from Huayin, Hongnong Commandery (present-day Huayin County,Shaanxi Province), was the founding emperor of the Sui Dynasty and the fourteenth-generation descendant of Yang Zhen, Grand Marshal of the Han Dynasty.

The Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty brought national economic prosperity and cultural advancement. Surrounded by various ethnic minorities who greatly admired this flourishing civilization, many sent envoys to establish friendly relations, pledging allegiance and offering tribute.