Tang and Five Dynasties Figures and Stories (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Li Yanju / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: Chinese culture has a long and profound history. This book introduces the stories of historical figures from the Sui, Tang, and Five Dynasties periods in China, comparing Chinese and Pinyin with English. The language is standardized, the stories vivid; the annotations and Pinyin are accurate and concise, with glossary entries and annotations in both Chinese and English, facilitating synchronized language and cultural learning. This book is suitable for foreign students, as well as upper elementary students, middle school students, and general readers interested in history.
The saying "With enough effort, an iron pestle can be ground into a needle" means that perseverance leads to success. It comes from a story: The Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai lived in the mountains as a child, studying diligently. One day, while taking a walk, he encountered an old woman grinding an iron pestle (an iron pestle is a tool used for removing bran from rice, shaped like an iron rod). Li Bai found it strange and asked her why she was grinding the pestle. The old woman replied that she wanted to grind it into a needle for her daughter to use for embroidery. Li Bai asked, "How long would it take to grind such a thick iron pestle into a needle?" The old woman said, "If you keep grinding it, one day it will become a needle." This inspired Li Bai, who realized that learning also required perseverance. If he studied hard, he would achieve outstanding results and could accomplish great things in the future.
Li Bai was born in 701 in Suyab (now Tokmok, Kyrgyzstan) and, at the age of six or seven, moved with his father to Changlong County (now Jiangyou County, Sichuan Province). During his youth, he read extensively and was able to write prose by the age of 15. He also studied swordsmanship, had a knightly demeanor, and often associated with Taoist priests and recluses.
It is said that when Li Bai was in Sichuan, he went to the county government office to seek a minor position. Leading a cow past the magistrate's hall, the magistrate's wife wanted to scold him, so he quickly composed a poem:
"Fair face leans on the railing, soft voice echoes outside.
If not the Weaver Girl, why ask the Cowherd?"
"Fair face" refers to the magistrate's wife, whose white face symbolized her. She stood by the bed curtains, her melodious voice reaching outside. "The Weaver Girl" and "The Cowherd" are the names of two stars, said to be a married couple who could only meet once a year on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month. Li Bai was leading a cow past this spot when he wrote, "If not the Weaver Girl, why ask the Cowherd?" This had two meanings: First, if you are not the Weaver Girl, why bother with the Cowherd's story? Second, if you are not the Weaver Girl, don’t meddle with the cow leading past here.
When the magistrate heard Li Bai's poem, he not only did not scold him but also appointed him as his secretary.
Later, Li Bai left Sichuan and wandered for over a decade, traveling to many places and gaining fame nationwide. The Emperor Xuanzong of Tang then summoned him to Chang'an. The famous poet and minister He Zhizhang was the first to visit him, declaring upon meeting Li Bai: "You are a celestial being sent down to earth!" (A "celestial being sent down to earth" was someone who had committed a fault in heaven and been punished to live among humans). After reading Li Bai's poem "The Hard Road to Shu" and his other works, He Zhizhang praised them, saying, "This poem can move ghosts and gods to tears!" From then on, the eighty-year-old He Zhizhang and the much younger Li Bai became friends.
One day, while drinking together, they ran out of money. He Zhizhang took off a gold turtle from his body and used it as payment.
One day, Emperor Xuanzong hosted a banquet for Li Bai. The soup was too hot, so the emperor personally used a spoon to cool it for Li Bai. Later, Li Bai was assigned to draft official documents for the emperor.
Once, an ambassador from a foreign country presented a diplomatic document with unreadable characters. The ambassador, believing the Tang Dynasty lacked talent, grew arrogant. Xuanzong quickly summoned Li Bai. Having grown up in an ethnic minority region, Li Bai knew multiple languages and translated the document for the emperor. It turned out the country demanded territorial cession from the Tang Dynasty, threatening war otherwise. Xuanzong ordered Li Bai to draft a reply in the foreign language, firmly rejecting their demands. The ambassador, terrified, asked an eunuch, "Who is this man?" The eunuch replied, "This is Li Bai—he is a celestial being sent from heaven."
When the ambassador returned to his king, he reported, "With a celestial being helping the Tang Dynasty, how could we dare to oppose them?"
Once, Emperor Xuanzong was entertaining in the palace and told the eunuch Gao Lishi, "On such a fine day and with such splendid scenery, how can we rely solely on singing and dancing for entertainment? If a poet could praise this grandeur, it would glorify our reign for generations." So he summoned Li Bai.
At the time, Li Bai was drinking with Prince Ning, and when he came to see the emperor, he was already drunk, swaying unsteadily. People splashed cold water on his face to sober him up. Li Bai said, "Prince Ning invited me to drink, and I am already drunk. If Your Majesty permits me to be casual, I can fully unleash my talent." Xuanzong agreed, had two eunuchs hold him up, and prepared ink and brushes. Li Bai wrote ten poems in one breath, without a single correction.
Later, Xuanzong summoned Li Bai again and ordered the high eunuch Gao Lishi to remove Li Bai's boots. Li Bai casually extended his foot without hesitation. Gao Lishi was furious and harbored resentment toward Li Bai ever since.
In spring, Xuanzong and Yang Guifei admired the peonies, and the orchestra sang to entertain them. The singer Li Guijun was about to sing when Xuanzong told him not to perform old songs. Li Guijun said he had no new lyrics, so Xuanzong summoned Li Bai. Li Bai, though seemingly drunk and not fully sober, picked up his brush and, without hesitation, composed three poems praising Yang Guifei. Yang Guifei was delighted, and Xuanzong also praised the poems. The singers performed them, with Xuanzong playing the flute to accompany.
A few days later, Yang Guifei reread the three poems. Gao Lishi said, "I thought the empress would hate Li Bai by now, why does she still adore his poems?" Yang Guifei did not understand his meaning. Gao Lishi continued, "Zhao Feiyan was who? Li Bai dared to compare her to you. He lowered the empress’s dignity too much." The poems contained these lines: "Who in the Han palace can compare to you? Only the lovely Zhao Feiyan, adorned in new makeup." Zhao Feiyan was the queen consort of Emperor Cheng of Han, renowned for her beauty. Li Bai used this comparison to praise Yang Guifei. However, Zhao Feiyan was also known as a low-born, promiscuous woman. Hearing Gao Lishi’s interpretation, Yang Guifei agreed.
Xuanzong wanted to promote Li Bai, but Yang Guifei repeatedly obstructed him. Li Bai was exceptionally talented but arrogant, holding little regard for some officials, which led to resentment from Gao Lishi and others. They spoke negatively about Li Bai to Xuanzong, who eventually believed Li Bai was born to be poor and unsuitable for official posts. Li Bai himself felt Xuanzong only saw him as a scholar, not someone to be trusted, so he spent his days drinking and composing poetry with seven friends to vent his frustrations.
Li Bai did not want to take the imperial examination to become an official but hoped the emperor would recognize his talent and appoint him as a general or prime minister, retiring to seclusion after achieving success. His experiences in Chang'an left him utterly disillusioned. He said, "The grand road is like the blue sky, yet I alone cannot pass.
To cross the Yellow River, the ice blocks the way;
To climb the Taihang Mountains, the snow covers the peaks."
He then requested to leave Chang'an, and Xuanzong agreed. Li Bai once again embarked on his journey of traveling across China.
P183-186