of Shunzong period: "although called Gong Shi, it was actually a robbery." Modern Chinese scholar Zhang Lifan said in an essay: "during his early years, Emperor Dezong knew it was wiser to be thrifty. But when grew older, he became more and more avaricious and wasteful. At the same time, the extent of civilians' sufferings from Gong Shi largely increased." Literature In the poem the Old Charcoal Seller (), the famous ancient Chinese poet Bai Juyi () satirized the phenomenon of officials buying goods by force at low prices by Gong Shi, with a note below the title of the poem: "so suffering from the Gong Shi" (). Related works Bai Juyi, the Old Charcoal Seller Han Yu, the Chronicle of Shunzong period See also The Scoundrels in the Five Workshops (:zh:五坊小兒), an offensive word once used to describe workers in the five imperial workshops. Notes Note References Bibliography Fu Lecheng (), the General history of China - the history of Sui, Tang, and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), Zhongwen Book Co., Ltd (), History of ancient China Tang dynasty