Li Bai Collection -- Basic Collection of Chinese Family Libraries

Author: Zhang Ruijun
Review
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-02-01
Features:
"Golden cup of clear wine costs ten thousand coins,
Jade plate of exquisite delicacies is worth ten thousand.
Leaving the cup and putting down the chopsticks, unable to eat,
Drawing the sword and looking around, heart lost in confusion.
Wishing to cross the Yellow River, but ice blocks the way,
About to climb the Taihang Mountains, but snow covers the peaks.
Leisurely fishing by the green stream,
Suddenly dreaming of sailing to the sunlit edge.
Difficult to travel! Difficult to travel!
Many, where are they now?
With long winds breaking waves, there will be a time,
Sailing straight to the vast sea under the clouds." — Li Bai, "The Hardship of the Journey"
"Phoenix perches on the phoenix platform, phoenixes roam,
When the phoenix departs, the platform is empty, and the river flows on its own.
Flowers and grass of the Wu Palace are buried in hidden paths,
Gowns of the Jin Dynasty are turned into ancient mounds.
Three mountains half-submerged beyond the blue sky,
Two rivers divide the White Crane Isle.
Always overshadowed by floating clouds, unable to see Chang'an, causing sorrow." — Li Bai, "Ascending the Phoenix Terrace of Jinling"
A nation's culture has its roots and streams. At the very least, the broad masses of the people should know what the true roots of traditional Chinese culture are, and what its fundamental stream is. As publishers, we have no need to explore this issue, but we have the obligation to present publications that reflect the essence and mainstream of Chinese culture to the people. Thus, we have created this series, "Essential Library for Chinese Families." This is a nearly boundless publishing plan, but it reflects the sincere hearts of us as publishers. We know that the Chinese family is the fundamental unit of Chinese culture. If Chinese cultural families possess the essential classics and representative works of the Chinese nation, it 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 of the Hundred Schools and Classics: Includes 16 pre-Qin canonical works such as the Book of Songs, Book of Changes, Analects, Mencius, Han Feizi, etc. They are the source of life for the Chinese nation. Zhang Zhidong said, "Pre-Qin writings are worth a thousand gold per character," which accurately summarizes the works of the Pre-Qin philosophers.
Volume of 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 of Historical Masterpieces: Includes Zuo Zhuan, the Four Books, and Zizhi Tongjian. They are the essence of Chinese historiography. To understand history, one must start here.
Volume of Comprehensive Selections: Includes Tang Dynasty poetry, Song Dynasty ci poetry, Yuan Dynasty qu poetry, Thousand Poems, and Essentials of Classical Chinese. These are all tested and renowned selections, intended to broadly supplement the shortcomings of the Volume of Selected Works of Famous Poets in representing the essence of Chinese literature and poetry.
Volume of Notes and Miscellaneous Works: Includes 15 widely accepted miscellaneous works from Three-Character Classic to Zeng Guofan's Family Letters. In fact, they embody the deeper connotations of the outstanding culture of the Chinese nation.
Volume of Dramas and Novels: Includes 18 dramas and novels from Romance of the West Chamber to the four great classical novels. These represent the peak of literary creation in the Chinese nation. To some extent, they are like 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 successive volumes. We do not aim for economic benefits from a single book or time but strive to continuously expand our readership. Our hearts are in harmony with the broad readership, so we are confident of having a wide market for our own series.
Li Bai (701–762), styled Taibai, was also known as the Resident 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 Valley south of Lake Balkhash, under the jurisdiction of the Anxi Protectorate during the Tang Dynasty). In his childhood, he moved with his father to Changlong (now Jiangyou, Sichuan) in Qinglian. Most of his life was spent traveling. 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 talents and style were renowned, highly appreciated by Emperor Xuanzong. However, due to his inability to gain favor with the powerful, he left the capital after only three years, continuing his wandering life. In the second year of the An Lushan Rebellion, moved by the turmoil of the times, he joined the retinue of Prince Yong of Yongwang Li Lin. Unfortunately, Li Lin engaged in a struggle for the throne with Emperor Shaozong, was defeated, and Li Bai was implicated, exiled to Yelang (now Guizhou), but pardoned on the way. In his later years, he wandered in the southeastern region, relying on Li Yangbing, the magistrate of Dangtu, 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 nourishment of contemporary folk arts and the folk songs of the Qin, Han, and Wei dynasties, consolidating them into his unique style. He possessed extraordinary artistic talent and immense creative power. Everything astonishing, delightful, exciting, and thought-provoking was captured in his works. Du Fu once praised him as "When the brush falls, it startles the wind and rain; when the poem is completed, it moves the gods 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 "Li and Du." Han Yu remarked, "The writings of Li and Du shine like ten thousand suns, ever-lasting" (Regulating Poems). His collected works are titled The Collected Works of Li Taibai. The selections in this book are all famous poems and prose by Li Bai. Some complex and profound works, as well as excessively long ones, 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. For the convenience of readers, an appendix includes "A Brief Biography of Li Bai," "A Survey of Editions of Li Bai's Works Throughout History," "A Survey of Studies on Li Bai," and "Famous Quotes from The Collected Works of Li Bai."