Bai Juyi

Author: Zhang Xiande
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Reading an excellent biography can have a lifelong impact on you. Bai Juyi (772-846), a white lotus in a corrupt officialdom, an incorruptible official who left love in the places he governed, was a singer of the people's suffering, a pioneer of the new poetry movement, and a guardian of family and friendship. He felt the pain of the maimed old man and the sorrow of the singing girl, and his sincere verses, spanning a thousand years, warm our wounded hearts. Reading a good biography can influence a person's entire life. The "World Great Figures Series" edited and published by China Youth Press is a large-scale biography series specially prepared for young readers. The "great figures" introduced in this series are all individuals in world history who have had significant influence and contributions in politics, military, economy, science, thought, literature, and art. They have played a tremendous role in the course of world history. It can be said that the life of a "great figure" is history, it is knowledge. Through this series, readers can broaden their horizons, enrich their knowledge, enhance their confidence, and move away from immaturity towards maturity.
The "World Great Figures Series" has already published over 50 titles, and more are being released. Compared to other biographical books, it has the following unique features. In terms of the selection of subjects, this series differs from general celebrity biographies. All the selected subjects have had a significant impact on the course of world history. Among them are not only well-known figures from developed countries but also individuals from developing countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, as well as great figures from Chinese history who have had a significant impact on the world. The selected subjects are primarily positive figures, with a few notable exceptions who had a major negative influence.
In terms of content, this series provides a relatively complete account of the subjects' lives, from their birth to their death. Unlike some biographical books that only record a few small stories about famous individuals, the "World Great Figures Series" presents the extraordinary life experiences of the subjects in a comprehensive, three-dimensional, and colorful manner. Compared to those massive biographical books that often run into hundreds of thousands of words, each volume in this series is only about 120,000 words, with a reasonable price, easy-to-understand language, and vivid plots, making it suitable for young readers and those with general cultural levels. Readers can quickly gain an understanding of the main life events and contributions of the subjects without spending too much time, and draw rich nourishment from them. It can be said that among the many biographical books, the "World Great Figures Series" is a well-organized, appropriately weighted, and vividly written biography series. Therefore, it has always been popular with readers.
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This book is a biographical story that vividly records the life of the Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi. Bai Juyi experienced the painful and turbulent years after the An Lushan Rebellion. In his early years, he diligently studied poetry and literature, enduring hardships and seeking official success. He deeply sympathized with the suffering of the common people but harbored grand ambitions to rescue the people from hardship and restore clarity to the government, yet he faced repeated setbacks in his career. His poetry inherited and developed the excellent tradition of realism pioneered by Du Fu, showing compassion for the people's hardships, sharp satire on politics, and a longing for a beautiful and harmonious nature and life. His language was simple and clear, full of creativity.
Bai Juyi was a pioneer of the New Yuefu Movement in the mid-Tang Dynasty and one of its most accomplished poets. His output of poems ranked among the highest in the Tang Dynasty, and his works were already spreading overseas during his lifetime. They continue to have a profound impact to this day, making him another immortal great poet after Li Bai and Du Fu.