China's poetry creation reached its peak during the Tang Dynasty.
During this period, numerous outstanding poetic works and poets emerged, among whom the most famous were the romantic poet Li Bai and the realist poet Du Fu.
Li Bai, courtesy name Taibai, also known as the Recluse of Green Lotus, was a native of Chengji in Longxi (present-day Tianshui, Gansu). At the age of five, Li Bai moved with his family to Changlong in Mianzhou (present-day Jiangyou, Sichuan).
At the age of twenty-five, Li Bai left Sichuan to travel across various regions. He first arrived in Jiangling, where he encountered the highly renowned Taoist priest Sima Chongzhen. Overjoyed, Li Bai presented his poems and essays for Sima to appreciate. Impressed by Li Bai's extraordinary demeanor and excellent writing, Sima praised him, saying, "You possess the spirit and bearing of an immortal, capable of roaming the farthest reaches of the universe with the gods." Thrilled by this compliment, Li Bai returned and composed a piece titled "The Great Roc," in which he likened himself to the majestic bird, expressing his extraordinary ambitions. This work catapulted Li Bai's fame across the land.
After this, Li Bai traveled to places like Jinling and Gusu, writing many famous poems and growing increasingly renowned. In 742 AD, Li Bai was summoned to Chang'an by imperial decree. One day, while visiting the Purple Extreme Palace, he unexpectedly encountered the renowned poet He Zhizhang. Having long admired He Zhizhang's poetry and read his works, Li Bai was overjoyed by this chance meeting. He presented his own poems for He Zhizhang's critique. He Zhizhang greatly admired "The Difficulty of the Shu Road" and "The Song of the Crows Perching," and enthusiastically compared Li Bai to an immortal banished from heaven to the mortal world. From then on, people began calling Li Bai the "Banished Immortal."
He Zhizhang and Princess Yuzhen, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang's sister, repeatedly praised Li Bai before the emperor. After reading Li Bai's writings, Emperor Xuanzong also recognized his extraordinary talent and summoned him to the palace. When Li Bai arrived, the emperor personally descended the steps to welcome him, bestowed delicious food upon him, and even prepared soup for him with his own hands. The emperor appointed Li Bai as a Hanlin academician responsible for drafting imperial documents, keeping him close by his side. From then on, whether on outings or at banquets, Emperor Xuanzong always brought Li Bai along and had him compose poems to record the occasions.
Li Bai was a wild and unrestrained individual, and with the favor he received from Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, he completely disregarded the powerful officials at court. According to legend, once an envoy from the Bohai Kingdom came to see Emperor Xuanzong with a letter. The script on the letter was entirely different from Chinese characters, and none of the civil and military officials in the court could recognize it. Feeling embarrassed, Emperor Xuanzong angrily said, "We are a great celestial dynasty with many talented officials. Why is there no one who can recognize even a single character? If we don't know what the letter says, how can we reply? Won't this make us a laughingstock?" Upon hearing this, all the officials were deeply ashamed. Seeing their reaction, the emperor grew even angrier. Suddenly, he thought of Li Bai, believing that with his outstanding talent, Li Bai might be able to recognize the strange script. He immediately sent for Li Bai to be summoned to the palace. After entering the palace, Li Bai picked up the Bohai letter and read it fluently. Delighted, Emperor Xuanzong ordered Li Bai to draft a reply in that same script. Li Bai despised Gao Lishi and decided to use this opportunity to teach him a lesson, so he requested that Emperor Xuanzong order Gao Lishi to remove his boots. The emperor immediately agreed. Gao Lishi was a favored minister of Emperor Xuanzong, deeply trusted and appointed as Champion General and Right Guard General, wielding immense power. He felt that Li Bai was insulting him, but since the emperor had issued the order, he had no choice but to remove Li Bai's boots. Li Bai was overjoyed and quickly finished drafting the reply.
Li Bai's behavior angered Gao Lishi, who then held a grudge against him. Seeing that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang greatly favored Li Bai, Gao went to Yang Guifei and slandered him. One day, while discussing poetry with Gao, Yang Guifei brought up Li Bai's poem "Pure Peace Tune." In the poem, Li Bai wrote: "A branch of red blossoms, dew-kissed and fragrant, clouds and rain over Wushan bring heartache; ask which in Han Palace could compare—poor Flying Swallow, leaning on her new makeup." The "Flying Swallow" referred to Zhao Feiyan, Empress of Emperor Cheng of Han, who was poorly regarded by later generations. Gao Lishi falsely claimed that Li Bai's reference to Zhao Feiyan was actually aimed at Yang Guifei, accusing Li of deliberately insulting her. Enraged by this, Yang Guifei spoke many ill words about Li Bai before Emperor Xuanzong. As a result, the emperor grew increasingly distant from Li Bai and eventually granted him gold and sent him away.
From then on, Li Bai left Chang'an and began traveling to various places.
In 755 AD, the An Lushan Rebellion erupted. The rebel forces successively captured Luoyang and Chang'an, forcing Emperor Xuanzong of Tang to flee in disgrace to Sichuan. To prevent the rebels from advancing south, he appointed Prince Li Lin of Yong as military governor to oppose the rebels. Li Lin had long heard of Li Bai's great reputation, and when passing through Xunyang (present-day Jiujiang, Jiangxi), he learned that Li Bai was taking refuge on Mount Lu and invited him to join his staff. Seeing this as an opportunity to realize his ambitions, Li Bai accepted. He wrote many poems praising Li Lin and repeatedly urged him to rally the imperial forces to defeat the rebels. However, lacking the trust of Emperor Suzong's court, Li Lin was quickly defeated and branded a rebel. Li Bai was implicated and sentenced to exile in Yelang, but on the way there, he was pardoned due to a general amnesty.
In 762 AD, Li Bai died of illness at the age of sixty-one.
Li Bai's poetry is fresh and ethereal, bold and unrestrained, rich in imagination, reaching the pinnacle of Romantic literature, earning him the title "Immortal Poet" and the admiration of later generations.