Li Bai

I am also known as Li Po.

Welcome to my page, for I am about to bring you on an incredible journey through my life, my works,and my immortality.

Let us begin!

Life

A painting of me.

I was born in the year 701. Where, you ask? This has been a controversy for more than a millennium. While where I was born is not entirely known, the brashness and bravado of my poetic voice are characteristics of poets from this region (Wu 66). There are theories that I could have been of Turkish decent. I am probably from a mercantile family (Eide 370).

My family dwelt in what is now Gansu. Evidence suggests that my family was banished during the Sui Dynasty, (due to a crime) and thus moved from Gansu. In 705 my family secretly moved to beautiful Sichuan (famous for its gigantic mountains and wonderful natural scenery), where I spent my childhood (Wu 57).

I read everything! Of course I read the Confucian Classics, but I also read things normal scholars abstained from, such as astrological and metaphysical texts (Eide 373).

In 761, Du Fu wrote this particular poem about me: (Wu 58)

I have not seen Li Po for a long time--

What a pitiable man with his feigned madness!
All the world wants to kill him:
I alone dote on his genius.
Quick-witted, he has hit off a thousand poems;
A waif in the world, his only home is in a cup of wine.
O my friend! 'Tis time to return to Ku'ang Shan,

Where you used to read books with such gusto.

From this we can gather I used to study books in Ku'ang Shan, a mountain lying near the city of Chengtu.

I enjoyed taming birds and sword play. I was quite proficient in martial arts.
By the time I was twenty, I had killed with my own hands several persons for chivalrous causes. (Author's note: Take that with a lump of salt. Could not be confirmed elsewhere). (Wu 58)

“When I was fifteen, I was fond of sword play, and with that art I challenged quite a few great men.” -- Li Bai [Wu 58]

Around 725 I left home and became a wanderer. I sailed around, a truly wild spirit. I married the granddaughter of a retired Prime Minister, but even she (Hsu Hsin-shih, try saying that three times fast) could not tame me. In 735, I wandered to Shansi, where one of the most important events of my life happened. Here I met Kuo Tzu-i, a humble soldier. I saved him from a court-martial by simply speaking to the commander.

---

An Examination: Li Bai's Political Motives

Author's Note: An Introduction:

This point in Li Bai's life is where things start moving rapidly. But there are key decisions and ideals that bring up questions. Why didn't he take the examinations? Why did he become a recluse? Here I intend to argue that his reasoning for this is simple: to gain political power.

Background

During the T'ang period, there were only four ways to get an official career:

1. Take the Imperial Examination.
2. Be recommended by someone in charge of an academy.
3. Be recommended by a local/higher official.
4. Be commended by the Emperor himself.

During the formation of dynasties, it can be derived that only methods 2 and 3 were used. However, even after the examination system was established, emperors still liked direct introductions from important people. Just doing extremely well on the examinations was not enough to get a good position (Eide 370). This is why it is very important that I befriend as many important figures as possible.

Song Dynasty painting of examinations.

A common way used by other poets was to send a letter to an important person, and present a "profile" of their writings. Doing this several times was called "keeping the scrolls warm" (Mair 125).

Emperor Hsuan-tsung encouraged literati to rise up mainly using the examination system. However, I was much too impatient and wanted to rise to the top in a single leap. Demonstrating this, I refused to accept the Prefect of Kuang-han’s recommendation letter and did not participate in the usual examination. While either channels were perfectly good ways to get an official career, the slow progress would have been pure torture for me. I believed in what I called “the direct route to becoming a dragon” (Eide 126).

What exactly I meant no one really knows.

This contributed to my image of an uncompromising and ambitious individualist. While it may seem unique, I still had very conventional traits, such as in my poetry.

Taoist Hermit: A lifestyle? Or cunning shortcut?

(Author's Note: Li Bai would have never openly admitted what I am suggesting here. This is now from me, Arnold's, point of view.)

Reclusion during the Tang period may have had hidden ulterior motives. As Mair so artfully states:

“It was as though one were saying to the officials and even to the Emperor, "See how pure and aloof I am. If you want to employ my talents, you must come and wrest me from

my blissful seclusion." ”

An example of this is Li Mi, who deliberately studied Taoism and became a hermit.

He later became Prime Minister (Kohn 630).

It is claimed that Kao-Tsung, Empress Wu, and Hsuan-tsung liked to have "curiosities" at court. The strangeness of Taoist priests during this period was a successful way of attracting the attention of emperors (Kohn 631). Hsuan-tung was claimed to have kept seven resident hermits/Taoist priests (Kohn 632).

This practice is in fact so widespread that it birthed a satirical proverb (Mair 127):

"Chung-nan Mountain is a short cut."

The back story is about the scholar Lu Tsang-yung, who received an Advanced Scholar degree and wanted to enter an official career. However, now was not the right time (as decided by the emperor, so he became a hermit on Chung-nan Mountain.
This mountain is very close to the capital, making it easy for the Emperor to summon monks and such. And true enough, he was soon summoned by the Emperor.

Around this time there was a famous Taoist priest named Ssu-ma Cheng-chen, who also lived on the mountain as a hermit, and had very good connections with the royal family. The tale goes with Ssu-ma returning to the mountain after a palace visit, and meeting upon Tsang-yung, who pointed to the mountain and asked "That's really a wonderful place, isn't it?"
Cheng-chen answered: "As I see it, it's just a shortcut to becoming an official."

With such tales, we can see why Li Bai might have been tempted to try this out himself (Mair 128).
Continuing with both Li Bai's life and political "espionage", we find him traveling a lot during 726-742 (right where we left off), bringing him to numerous provinces, such as Hunan, Kiangsi, Honan, Shansi, and Shantung. But why?

We can derive two basic motives for this:

1. Seek out the unusual and beautiful (Kohn 625). This would have given him some inspiration for his poetry, and also maybe an insight into Taoist immortality.
2. The more important motive: to make friends and meet people- to be more specific: powerful people. Li Bai wanted them to help him through his "Dragon Gate", the road to official success, as per his plans (Mair 130)!

Li Bai's "Letter to Han Ching-chou

Full Letter: Letter to Han Ching-chou Not placed here because of its significant length. When we first look at it, it is in four sections. However, it is not any more special than other epistles written by political aspirants during the Tang! The four key items that appear in these letters(Mair, 130):

1. The whole world admires you, Your Honor!
2. Poet's background and ambitions.
3. Oh you are the final judge of all literature! Please look at some of my writings.
4. Please help me!

This is basically the "warming of scrolls" discussed earlier! However, reading through it, we can find very interesting things that other letters do not have.

The most noticeable is the air of (almost audacious!) self-confidence!

Princes, dukes, and high ministers admit that I have moral courage and high principles.

This is completely out of place with a letter that asks for help!

Not only that, but the letter

Summary

Li Bai was not stupid; he knew exactly what he wanted, and (possibly) the best way to achieve them. The analysis of his actions provides insight into the issue: he was not satisfied with taking the normal route to official success; it had to be grander.

References:

1. Eide, Elling O. On Li Po. New Haven: Yale UP, 1973. Print.
2. Liscomb, Kathlyn. "Iconic Events Illuminating the Immortality of Li Bai." Monumenta Serica 54 (2006): 75-118. JSTOR. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.
3. Kohn, Livia. "Eternal Life in Taoist Mysticism." Journal of the American Oriental Society 110.4 (1990): 622-40. JSTOR. Web. 1 Mar. 2012.
4. Kroll, Paul W. "Li Po's Transcendent Diction." Journal of the American Oriental Society Sinological Studies Dedicated to Edward H. Schafer 106.1 (1986): 99-117. JSTOR. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.
5. Mair, Victor H. "Li Po's Letters in Pursuit of Political Patronage." Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 44.1 (1984): 123-53. JSTOR. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.
6. Wu, Jingxiong. The Four Seasons of Tʻang Poetry,. Rutland, VT: C.E. Tuttle, 1972. Print.

Pictures

1. Song Dynasty Painting of Imperial Examination. History - Humanistic Spirit. Cultural China. Web. 1 Mar. 2012. <http://history.cultural-china.com/en/168History9790.html>.