Li Bai Collection

Author: Zhang Ruijun
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-06-01
Features:
"Golden cup, clear wine, ten thousand coins;
Jade plate, exquisite delicacies, ten thousand coins.
Stop the cup, drop the chopsticks, cannot eat;
Draw the sword, look around, heart lost.
Want to cross the Yellow River, ice blocks the way;
Will climb the Taihang Mountains, snow covers the peaks.
Leisurely fish at Bixi River;
Suddenly take a boat, dream of the sun's edge.
Difficult journey! Difficult journey!
Many, where to be?
With the wind, break the waves, there will be a time;
Directly hoist the sails, cross the vast sea." — Li Bai, "Journey Through Hardship"
"Phoenix perches on the phoenix platform, phoenixes roam;
When phoenixes depart, the platform is empty, the river flows on its own.
Flowers and grass of Wu Palace are buried in hidden paths;
Gowns of Jin Dynasty are turned into ancient mounds.
Three mountains half-fall beyond the blue sky;
Two rivers divide the Bai Isle.
Always because floating clouds can obscure the sun;
Chang'an unseen brings sorrow." — Li Bai, "Ascending Phoenix Terrace on Jinling Mountain"
A nation's culture has its source and flow. At the very least, the broad masses of the people should know what the true source of traditional Chinese culture is, and what its fundamental flow is. As publishers, we have no need to explore this issue, but we have the obligation to present publications that embody the essence and mainstream of Chinese culture to the people. Thus, there is this series, "Essential Library for Chinese Families." This is a publishing plan that is almost boundless, but it reflects the sincere hearts of us publishers. We know that the Chinese family is the fundamental unit of Chinese culture. If Chinese cultural families possess the fundamental classics and representative works of the Chinese nation, then this will undoubtedly help promote our excellent national culture and forge our great national spirit. This is the original intention behind publishing this series. Therefore, this series is based on classic traditional cultural masterpieces and is divided into six volumes:
Volume 1: Classics of the Hundred Schools of Thought
Includes 16 pre-Qin foundational works such as the Book of Songs, Book of Changes, Analects, Mencius, Han Feizi, etc. They are the lifeblood of the Chinese nation. Zhang Zhidong said, "Pre-Qin works are worth a thousand gold per character," which accurately summarizes the pre-Qin philosophical works.
Volume 2: Selected Works of Famous Poets
Includes personal selected works of 21 renowned literary figures such as Tao Yuanming, Wang Wei, Li Bai, Du Fu, and Yuan Haowen. This selection focuses on Tang and Song Dynasty literary masters, representing the highest achievements of Chinese lyrical literature.
Volume 3: Masterpieces of Historiography
Includes the Zuo Zhuan, the Four Histories, and the Zizhi Tongjian. They are the essence of Chinese historiography. To understand history, one must start here.
Volume 4: Comprehensive Selections
Includes Tang Dynasty poetry, Song Dynasty ci poetry, Yuan Dynasty qu poetry, the Thousand Poems, and the Essentials of Classical Chinese. These are all tested and renowned selected works, intended to broadly supplement the shortcomings of the Selected Works of Famous Poets in capturing the essence of Chinese literature and poetry.
Volume 5: Notes and Miscellaneous Works
Includes 15 widely accepted miscellaneous works from the Three-Character Classic to the Zeng Guofan Family Letters. In fact, they embody the deeper connotations of the excellent culture of the Chinese nation.
Volume 6: Dramas and Novels
Includes 18 dramas and novels from the Romance of the West Chamber to the four great classical novels. These represent the peak of Chinese literary creation. To some extent, they are like the Three-Character Classic, containing the fundamental spiritual nourishment that has nurtured the Chinese people.
To be responsible to readers, we do not seek immediate success in publishing but adopt a strategy of gradual expansion through serial publication. We do not aim for economic benefits from a single book or time but strive to continuously broaden our readership. Our hearts are in harmony with the broad readership, so we are confident of having a wide market for our own works.
Li Bai (701–762), styled Taibai, was also known as the "Inhabitant of Qinglian." His ancestral home was Chengji in Longxi (near present-day Tianshui, Gansu). His ancestors were exiled to the Western Regions during the late Sui Dynasty, and Li Bai was born in Suyab (now the Chu River Basin south of Lake Balkhash, under the jurisdiction of the Anxi Protectorate during the Tang Dynasty). He moved with his father to Changlong (now Jiangyou, Sichuan) in Qinglian during his childhood. Most of his life was spent wandering. In the first year of the Tianbao era (742), recommended by the Taoist Wu Yun, he was summoned to Chang'an and served as a court scholar. His literary talent and style were renowned, and he was highly appreciated by Emperor Xuanzong. However, due to his inability to gain favor with the powerful, he left the capital after only three years and continued his wandering life. In the second year of the An Lushan Rebellion, moved by the turmoil of the times, he joined the retinue of Yong Wang Li Lin. Unfortunately, Li Lin engaged in a struggle for the throne with Emperor Shaozong, and after his defeat, Li Bai was implicated and exiled to Yelang (now Guizhou). He was pardoned on the way. In his later years, he wandered in the southeastern region, relying on Li Yangbing, the magistrate of Dangtu County, and soon passed away.
Li Bai's poetry is primarily lyrical. After Qu Yuan, he was the first truly capable poet to widely draw on the rich traditions of folk art and the Yuefu folk songs from the Qin, Han, and Wei dynasties, refining them into his unique style. He possessed extraordinary artistic talent and majestic artistic power. All that is astonishing, delightful, exciting, and thought-provoking finds its way onto his paper. Du Fu praised him as "When his brush falls, it startles the wind and rain; when his poem is completed, it moves ghosts to tears" (In Memory of Li Bai the Twelfth), calling him the most outstanding romantic poet after Qu Yuan, known as the "Poet Immortal." Together with Du Fu, they are known as the "Li-Du," and Han Yu remarked, "When Li and Du's writings shine, their brilliance spans ten thousand feet" (Regulating Zhang Ji). His collected works are titled The Collected Works of Li Taibai. The selections in this book are all renowned poems and prose by Li Bai. Some complex and profound works, as well as those that are too long, have been omitted. For further study, readers may refer to works such as The Collected Works of Li Bai: Annotated, Annotated, and Critiqued edited by Zhan Jing.
The chronological arrangement of Li Bai's poems and prose has been extensively studied by scholars such as Zhan Jing, Yu Xianhao, and An Qi, but arranging them in chronological order remains challenging. Therefore, they are arranged according to the catalog of The Collected Works of Li Taibai from the Song-Shu edition. To facilitate readers, appendices include "A Brief Biography of Li Bai," "An Overview of Editions of Li Bai's Works Throughout History," "An Overview of Works on Li Bai Research," and "Famous Quotes from The Collected Works of Li Bai."