He continued to ramble about the country, sometimes with his wife and sometimes not, visiting other poets and scholars and becoming something of a legend among his fellow intellectuals. Although they had several children and Hsu Hsin-shih seems to have been a model wife, Li's wanderlust was evidently untamed. In 727 he married Hsu Hsin-shih, the daughter of a retired prime minister at An-lu in Hupei, where he stayed the next eight years. He traveled extensively in Szechwan and, later, in his twentyfifth year, northward to central China. Now emotionally as well as intellectually mature, he resolved to broaden his horizons by seeing what the world outside his native province had to offer.Įxcept for this period of seclusion in the mountains, Li Po spent his youth in search of adventures abroad. Between the ages of twenty and twenty-four, he lived as a recluse in a remote part of Szechwan Province, there acquiring even more of a reputation for wisdom and literary ability. In 720, his exceptional abilities were recognized by the governor of his province, who predicted that he would become a famous poet.Īdventure Seeker After a turbulent adolescence, during which he was an adventurer and a sword fighter, Li Po became interested in more contemplative pursuits. He received a diploma from the Taoist master Kao Tien-Shih in recognition of his Taoist studies Taoism emphasizes a connection with nature, compassion for people and other living things, and self-discipline. He tended to concentrate on esoteric religious and literary works rather than the Confucian Classics, although he certainly read and was familiar with the latter. The precocious Li Po started his poetic compositions early in childhood but was bored by formal education. When he was about five, his father, a businessman, and his mother, a washerwoman, successfully petitioned the authorities for permission to move to the city of Chang Ming in Szechwan Province, a more industrialized and cosmopolitan community.

Precocious Youth Li Po was most likely born in central Asia, where his ancestors had lived in exile since the early seventh century. Works in Biographical and Historical Context

Few readers of Chinese literature have been able to resist his charm. Li Po is one of the great figures of Chinese literature, a poet whose adventurous life is mirrored in his verses. His writings reflect the grandeur of the Tang dynasty at the height of its prosperity. Li Po, one of the most popular Chinese poets, was noted for his romantic songs on wine, women, and nature. The Works of Li Po, the Chinese Poet (1922) Overview

Li bai the selected poems of li po