He was described by a contemporary drama reviewer as being "an outstanding and talented descendant of a distinguished family..."[1] He was born in Xuancheng.
He would meet with his friends to share books they recently acquired.
[1] He failed imperial examinations and became a full-time writer.
[2] Mei's hired his own workers to create woodblocks for his books.
[3] Works by Mei are held in the National Central Library.