Han Shan and Shi De are both renowned as great Chinese Buddhist monks and poets. [Photo/zjtz.gov.cn]

Han Shan and Shi De are two renowned Chinese Buddhist monks and poets.

They cultivated themselves at Guoqing Temple on Tiantai Mountain in Quzhou during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and they were said to be the incarnations of Manjusri Bodhisattva and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.

They were both said to be very well-read and devout Buddhists, and they often recited and wrote poetry together.

The two of them are considered to embody friendship in Chinese folk culture.

During the Yongzheng era of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), emperor Yongzheng bestowed Han Shan with the name "Saint of He", or "Saint of Harmony" in English, and bestowed Shi De with the name "Saint of He", or "Saint of Combination" in English. Since then, the legend of Han Shan and Shi De has spread across China.