Song Lian (宋濂, 1310–1381), also known by his courtesy name Jinglian, was a Chinese historian and official who served the Ming dynasty in its early years. The sources consulted do not attribute any painting to him, so his importance rests mainly on his work in historiography and in the political life of his time.
Before entering Ming service, he was one of the principal figures of the Jinhua school of Neo-Confucianism, which emerged under the Yuan dynasty. Later he acted as a literary and political adviser to the Hongwu Emperor, the founder of the dynasty.
As head of the Ming Bureau of History, he directed the compilation of the official history of the Yuan dynasty, completed in 1370. Under his guidance, the work departed from the older Confucian historiographical tradition and argued that history had an influence on human affairs equal to that of the great Confucian classics.
The History of Yuan remains a key source for the study of the Han, Tungusic, Mongol and Turkic peoples, which explains its significance within Asian historiography.