Li Bai

Author: Jiang Lai, Xiao Fen / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: In 701 AD, Li Bai was born in Suyab, Western Regions. At that time, Suyab was an important town of the Anxi Protectorate of the Tang Empire, which had once served as the headquarters of the Anxi Protectorate and was a key western stronghold within the territory of China, closely connected to the Central Plains. Today, Suyab is known as Tokmok and is located in the northern part of the Kyrgyz Republic. How could Li Bai have been born so far away in the Western Regions? After reaching adulthood, Li Bai often spoke of his family background. He claimed that his distant ancestor was the famous general Li Guang of the Western Han Dynasty and that he was the ninth-generation descendant of Li Qiao, the king of Western Liang. The family suffered persecution during the late Sui Dynasty and was forced to migrate to the Western Regions, eventually settling in Sichuan. Li Bai’s family background is shrouded in many mysteries, as it resembles a puzzle with many unexplained aspects. Many scholars have studied Li Bai’s family history and reached various conclusions.
Li Guang’s background is well-known. He was a famous "Flying General" of the Western Han Dynasty, who fiercely fought against the Xiongnu cavalry in numerous battles, winning over seventy engagements and achieving numerous victories. The fierce Xiongnu people both feared and respected him. Li Bai deeply took pride in his ancestor Li Guang and wrote in his poetry, "My family originated from Longxi, and our ancestors were frontier generals of the Han. Their achievements were unparalleled under heaven, and their names soared to the heavens."
Li Guang’s grandson, Li Ling, was also a renowned general. Since Li Bai’s family claimed descent from Li Guang, were they also descendants of Li Ling? Li Bai never explicitly acknowledged this. However, in his poetry, he expressed great sympathy for Li Ling and subtly praised him. Scholars believe that Li Ling was indeed an ancestor of Li Bai. Li Bai referred to Li Qiao as his ninth-generation ancestor. Li Qiao was both a skilled warrior and a capable administrator, serving as the governor of Dunhuang in the late Eastern Jin Dynasty. In 400 AD (the fourth year of Long’an in the Jin Dynasty), he proclaimed himself the King of Western Liang and established the Western Liang Kingdom. The Western Liang Kingdom had a vast territory, stretching from Jiuquan, Yumen, and Dunhuang in present-day Gansu to the southern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains and the northern foothills of the Kunlun Mountains in present-day Xinjiang. Li Qiao encouraged agricultural development, promoted production, maintained peaceful relations with neighboring regimes, and was relatively progressive, displaying some democratic tendencies. Under his rule, the Western Liang Kingdom experienced a brief period of prosperity. Li Qiao died in 421 AD. Four years later, his grandson Li Bao was defeated, and the Western Liang Kingdom was annexed by the Northern Liang King Juqu Mengxun.
The founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan, also claimed to be a descendant of Li Qiao and emphasized that he was the seventh-generation descendant of Li Qiao. This means that Li Bai and Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji shared the same distant ancestor. Li Bai was two generations older than Li Longji, so Li Longji should have been considered Li Bai’s grandfather. Of course, Li Bai never made such boastful claims. His contemporaries also doubted whether Li Bai was a member of the imperial family, as he had not registered under the imperial clan’s lineage and lacked official records. People believed he belonged to the "unregistered" category.
Li Bai often mentioned that his ancestors fled to the Western Regions during the late Sui Dynasty but did not provide specific details. This event once caused a sensation in history. In the later years of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, he repeatedly launched foreign wars, built palaces and gardens, conscripted soldiers and laborers, and imposed heavy taxes, causing widespread suffering among the people. Rebellions and uprisings broke out one after another. Folk songs and rumors circulated, cursing Emperor Yang and spreading the belief that "the Li family would become emperors." Fearing that his rule would be threatened, Emperor Yang suspected people with the surname Li without cause, targeting Li Hun and Li Min first. The Li family of Li Hun and Li Min were founding heroes of the Sui Dynasty, with outstanding military achievements and control over military and political power, holding the rank of grand general. In 615 AD (the eleventh year of Daye in the Sui Dynasty), Emperor Yang unjustly accused the Li family of plotting rebellion and slaughtered 32 members of the family, including Li Hun and Li Min. The rest of the Li family members were exiled to remote regions. Li Bai’s ancestors may have been among those exiled to the Western Regions during this.
In 618 AD (the first year of Wude in the Tang Dynasty), Li Yuan became emperor. Three months later, he overturned the wrongful verdict against Li Hun and Li Min, officially declaring that the descendants of the Li family who had been exiled could return to their homeland. If Li Bai’s family were descendants of Li Hun and Li Min, his grandfather and father should have been able to return to the Central Plains with joy. Then why did Li Bai’s father not return for a long time? And why did he not dare to openly acknowledge his identity after returning? This is very strange.
Some scholars also believe that Li Bai’s ancestor was Li Gui. Li Gui was originally a military commander during the late Sui Dynasty, stationed in western Gansu.
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