The Xiao Jingyan character in the Nirvana in Fire Board did not exist in history. Xiao Jingyan was a fictional character in the Langya Board. His story was set in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and his prototype was Xiao Tong of the Liang Dynasty. Xiao Tong (502 - 561) was the eldest son of Xiao Yan, Emperor Wu of Liang. He was a famous writer, politician, and calligrapher. During his reign, he implemented a series of reform measures to promote economic prosperity and cultural development. He was regarded as a wise ruler of the Liang Dynasty. Although Xiao Jingyan did not exist in history, his story was ingeniously conceived and fabricated by Hai Yan, the author of Nirvana in Fire, and he became an important character in the novel.