Li Bai - Immortal of Poetry

Li Bai ( 701 - 762 ), styled himself Taibai, nicknamed Lotus Hermit. His ancestral home is in Chengji of Longxi (in the now Gansu Province ) and he was born in Duhu County of Anxi. During the Tang Dynasty, he was the greatest poet then and was extolled as "immortal of poetry."

When he was young, Li Bai was greatly erudite, cherished high aspiration and had a propensity for the art of sword. From the age of 26, Li Bai embarked on trekking the countrys magnificently beautiful mountains and rivers, also on his way of seeking an opportunity to become an official. His travels carried him to Taiyuan to the north, Qi and Lu to the east, south to the Wu and Yue, boated on the Dongting Lake, ascended Mount Kuang and Mount Lu, and visited famous cities, including Jinling, Yangzhou, Changan, Luoyang, etc. He wrote many brilliant poems during his tour and established his fame as a famous poet. During his several visits in Jinan, Li Bai boated on the Queshan Lake, climbed the Huabuzhu Mountain, drank under the Lixia Pavilion, and left many poems, such as, " Boating on the Queshan Lake with granduncle the mayor of Jinan " and "On my tour of the capital of Qi Kingdom."

All the poems of Li Bai are collected in the "Complete Works of Li Bai" and approximately 1,000 poems are still extant today. His poems reflect his rich and profound thoughts, some expose and have a lash-out at the evil and decadent side of the reigning group, some voice his great political ambition, some reflect his aspiration for ideal life and his will to fight against the governing class and feudal morality, while others eulogize the magnificence of landscape. The poetry of Li Bai is enthusiastic, convincing, fluent and rhythmic. He is an expert in using unfettered imagination and exaggeration to express his strong feelings. His poems have a positive and strong tint of romanticism.