Li Bai (701-762), widely known in the West as Li Po, Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Woodblock print from 'Images of Ancient People in History', c. 1498. Li Bai, also known as Li Bo and courtesy name Taibai and art name Qinglian Jushi, has generally been regarded as one of the greatest poets in China's Tang period, which is often called China's 'golden age' of poetry. Around a thousand existing poems are attributed to him, but the authenticity of many of these is uncertain. Thirty-four of his poems are included in the popular anthology 'Three Hundred Tang Poems'.
Li Bai has generally been regarded as one of the greatest poets in China's Tang period, which is often called China's 'golden age' of poetry. Around a thousand existing poems are attributed to him, but the authenticity of many of these is uncertain. Thirty-four of his poems are included in the popular anthology 'Three Hundred Tang Poems'. Many of the Classical Chinese poets were associated with drinking wine, or more precisely, alcoholic beverages. In fact, Li Bai was part of the group of Chinese scholars during his time in Chang'an, called the 'Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup', as mentioned in a poem by fellow poet Du Fu. However, Li Bai is of special note in this respect. As Burton Watson put it, 'nearly all Chinese poets celebrate the joys of wine, but none so tirelessly and with such a note of genuine conviction as Li Bai'. This lifestyle may have given rise to the story that Li Bai drowned after falling from his boat when he tried to embrace the reflection of the moon in the Yangtze River while intoxicated.
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Photo credit: © Pictures From History / Alamy / Afripics
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