Three Tang Dynasty works particularly influential in the development of the caizi-jiaren model" were Yingying's Biography, The Tale of Li Wa, and Huo Xiaoyu zhuan (T: 霍小玉傳, S: 霍小玉传, "The story of Huo Xiaoyu").
Early examples are also common in Ming and Qing dynasty opera, such as The Story of the Western Wing, which uses the term caizi jiaren in its text, and The Peony Pavilion.