Yuán Kǎi 袁凱 (active 1349–1380s), zì Jǐngwén 景文, hào Hǎisǒu 海叟 (“Sea-Elder”), nicknamed Yuán Báiyàn 袁白燕 after his famous Báiyàn shī (White-Swallow verse), native of Huátíng 華亭 (Sōngjiāng, modern Shànghǎi). In Hóngwǔ years promoted from jǔrén to Jiānchá yùshǐ 監察御史; pleaded illness, retired home. Famously survived the Hóngwǔ-era literati purges by yángkuáng (feigning madness) — the most-cited example of early-Míng literati survival strategy. His record is in Míng shǐ Wényuàn zhuàn. Verse collection KR4e0063 Hǎisǒu jí 海叟集 has an exceptionally complicated transmission history through five named recensions (Xiángzé Zhāngshì → Tiānshùn Zàiyě jí → Hóngzhì Lù Shēn → Lóngqìng Hé Yuánzhī → Wànlì Zhāng Suǒwàng → Qīng Cáo Bǐngzēng). Hé Jǐngmíng 何景明 (of the Qián Qīzǐ 前七子) placed Yuán Kǎi at the head of the early-Míng poets, above Gāo Qǐ; Lǐ Mèngyáng 李夢陽 likewise embraced him as a proto-fùgǔ model. CBDB returns multiple homonyms; the catalog meta gives fl. 1349–1370.