Wáng Kǎiyùn 王闓運 (1833–1916; CBDB id 54778), courtesy name Rénqiū 壬秋, sobriquet Xiāngyǐ 湘綺 (hence also known as Xiāngyǐ Xiānshēng 湘綺先生 and Xiāngyǐlóu Zhǔrén 湘綺樓主人), was a native of Xiāngtán 湘潭, Húnán province, and one of the preeminent classical scholars and literary stylists of the late Qīng dynasty. Note on dates: the CBDB record (#54778, citing Qīngdài Rénwù Shēngzú Niánbiǎo #1669) records the birth year as Dàoguāng 12 (1832) in lunar reckoning, but clarifies that the actual solar date was 19 January 1833; the solar year 1833 is followed here.
A private scholar who declined repeated invitations to official office, Wáng gained close access to the circles surrounding the Xiāng Army 湘軍 leadership, including 曾國藩 Zēng Guófān. From 1876 to 1882 he directed the Zūnjīng Academy 尊經書院 in Chéngdū, Sìchuān. He later taught in various private academies and in his final years accepted membership in the national history compilation bureau (Qīng Shǐ Guǎn 清史館) under the early Republic, contributing to the official Qīngshǐ Gǎo 清史稿.
His principal historical work is Xiāngjūn Zhì 湘軍志 (KR4k0254), a 16-section chronicle of the Xiāng Army and the suppression of the Tàipíng Tiānguó 太平天國, notable for its archaic Shǐjì-style prose and its frank assessments of commanders and logistics. He was also a major poet and classical prose stylist. His collected works are preserved in Xiāngyǐlóu Wénjí 湘綺樓文集.