Of the three great poets of the Tang dynasty, Li Bai (Li Po in older texts) is probably the one most familiar to western readers. He was born in 701 in Gang Xiao Sheng, a territory of China, and when five years old followed his merchant father to Sichuan. Of an independent and bohemian nature, and well-off, Li Bai never sat the shin-shih examinations, nor bothered much about finding a position, but by impressing the many scholars who befriended him with his poetry, he was brought to court notice in 742 and appeared before Emperor He became a member of the Han-lin Academy, an appointment that lasted only two years. The association between China's most gifted literary magician and its dilettante emperor was not a happy one, and Li Bai was exiled from court on several occasions, the result of dubious political connections and the poet's distaste for tradition and authority. Many poems praise the light-headed simplicity that wine brings, and their author sometimes appeared less than sober before the Son of Heaven.
Bai is best known for the extravagant imagination and striking Taoist imagery in his poetry, as well as for his great love for liquor. Like Du Fu, he spent much of his life travelling, although in his case it was because his wealth allowed him to, rather than because his poverty forced him. He is said to have drowned in the Yangtze River, having fallen from his boat while drunkenly trying to embrace the reflection of the moon.
