Chen Di

Chen Di/Chʻen Ti (Chinese: 陳第; pinyin: Chén Dì; Wade–Giles: Chʻên2 Ti4; 1541–1617), courtesy name: Jili (季立), was a Chinese philologist, strategist, and traveler of the Ming dynasty. A native of Lianjiang County, Fuzhou, Fujian, China, he was versed in both pen and sword. As a strategist, he served under Qi Jiguang and others for many years before retiring to occupy himself with studies and travel. He wrote an account of an expedition to Taiwan in his 1603 Dōng Fān Jì (東番記), providing one of the first descriptions of the island and its indigenous inhabitants.