Ge Hong (Chinese: 葛洪; pinyin: Gě Hóng; Wade–Giles: Ko Hung, 283–343), courtesy name Zhichuan (稚川), was a minor southern official during the Jìn Dynasty (263-420) of China, best known for his interest in Daoism, alchemy, and techniques of longevity. Yet religious and esoteric writing represents only a portion of Ge's considerable literary output, which as a whole, spans a broad range of content and genres.

Although a prolific writer of many literary styles, most of Ge's early work, such as rhapsodies (fu), verse (shi), historical commentary, and biographies, are now lost. His surviving works consist of one volume of hagiographies, entitled Shenxian zhuan (Traditions of Divine Transcendents); and two volumes of essays and alchemical writing totaling seventy chapters, collectively entitled Baopuzi (抱朴子) or "The Master Who Embraces Simplicity", Ge’s sobriquet. In the Neipian (Inner Chapters) volume of the Baopuzi, Ge vigorously defends the attainability of divine transcendence or "immortality" through alchemy; the Waipian (Outer Chapters) volume is almost entirely given to social and literary criticism.

Yuan Hong (Chinese: 袁宏; Wade–Giles: Yüan Hung, 328–376), his courtesy name is Yanbo, was a scholar, historian and politician from the Eastern Jin. He was born in Zhoukou, Henan, and served as an advisor to generals Xie Shang and Huan Wen on a number of military campaigns. But he is best known for his literary works, especially the Records of Later Han, which served as the basis for the more famous Book of Later Han by Fan Ye. An original collection of works by him, in thirty volumes, is no longer extant. Around twenty poems and essays have been preserved.

Shi Shi (石世) (339–349) was briefly (for 33 days) the emperor of the Jie/Chinese Hun state Later Zhao following his father Shi Hu's death in 349. In the Chinese annals he is sometimes referred to by his title after removal as an Emperor, Prince of Qiao (譙王).

Shi Shi was Shi Hu's youngest son, by his third empress Empress Liu, the daughter of Han Zhao's last emperor Liu Yao. In 348, after Shi Hu had executed his second crown prince Shi Xuan (石宣) for having assassinated his brother Shi Tao (石韜), he considered whom to make crown prince, and although Shi Shi was the youngest, Shi Hu's official Zhang Chai (張豺) was able to convince him that he needed to create a crown prince whose mother did not come from low birth. Empress Liu and Zhang then planned to control the government after Shi Hu's death.

As Shi Hu neared death in summer 349, although Shi Hu had initially intended that his sons and Shi Shi's older brothers Shi Zun the Prince of Pengcheng and Shi Bin (石斌) the Prince of Yan serve as co-regents, Empress Liu and Zhang managed to forge edicts ordering Shi Zun to go to Guanzhong and executing Shi Bin. After Shi Hu's death, Shi Shi succeeded to the throne. Empress Dowager Liu became regent, and she shared power with Zhang. Unhappy with this development, Shi Zun, with a number of generals supporting him, advanced on the capital Yecheng, killing Zhang and detaining Empress Dowager Liu and Shi Shi. He then forged an edict by Empress Dowager Liu deposing Shi Shi and giving him the throne. He reduced Shi Shi to a Prince of Qiao, and Empress Dowager Liu to a Princess Dowager of Qiao, but then executed them. Shi Shi was just 10 when he died.

Jing Ke (? - 227 BC) was a guest residing in the estates of Dan, crown prince of Yan and renowned for his failed assassination attempt of Ying Zheng, King of Qin state, who later became China's first emperor (reign from 221 BC to 210 BC). His story is told in the chapter entitled Biographies of the Assassins (刺客列傳) in Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian.

In 230 BC, the Qin state began conquering other states as part of a unification plan. Qin's army successfully annihilated the weakest of the Seven Warring States, Han. Two years later Zhao was also conquered.

In exchange for peace, King Xi of Yan had earlier forced his son Crown Prince Dan of Yan to be held hostage by the Qin, but Prince Dan returned knowing that Qin was far stronger than Yan and would attack it later.

Jing Ke was originally from Wei (衞, not 魏). He was a scholar proficient in the art of the sword. His homeland of Wei was absorbed by Qin, and Jing Ke fled to Yan. A Youxia named Tian Guang (田光) first introduced him to Prince Dan. There Jing Ke accepted Prince Dan's hospitality, who as a last resort decided to send an assassin against the King of Qin. The plan was to either kidnap the king and force him to release the territories from his control; or failing this, to kill him. The expectation in either case was that Qin would be left disorganized, enabling the other six major states to unite against it.

Shi Hu (石虎) (295–349), courtesy name Jilong (季龍), formally Emperor Wu of (Later) Zhao ((後)趙武帝), was an emperor of the Chinese/Jie state Later Zhao. He was the founding emperor Shi Le's distant nephew, who took power in a coup after Shi Le's death from Shi Le's heir Shi Hong.

Shi Hu was a talented general who rarely lost battles, and Shi Le relied on him heavily in his conquest of northern and central China. However, he was also exceedingly cruel in his military campaigns. After he became the ruler of Later Zhao under the title of "heavenly prince" (Tian Wang), he ruled the empire with a heavy hand, imposing heavy tax and labor burdens and spending much of his effort on constructing palaces and collecting concubines. His laws were cruel, and he applied them in a harsh manner, even killing two of his crown princes when they crossed him. While he was alive, his empire remained intact, but as soon as he died, his sons and adopted grandson Ran Min engaged in an internecine war that destroyed both the empire and the Jie people.