Li Bai Collection (China Family Basic Collection: Master Selections Volume)

Author: Zhang Ruijun
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-01-01
Features:
"Golden cup of clear wine costs ten thousand coins,
Jade plate of exquisite delicacies worth ten thousand.
Leaving the cup and dropping the chopsticks, unable to eat,
Drawing the sword and looking around, heart 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 at the green stream,
Suddenly dreaming of sailing to the sun.
Difficult to travel! Difficult to travel!
Manyroads, where is the way now?
With long winds breaking waves, there will be a time,
Sailing straight to the clouds, crossing the vast sea." — Li Bai, "The Hard Road"
"Phoenix perches on the phoenix platform, phoenixes roam,
When phoenixes depart, the platform is empty, and the river flows on its own.
Flowers and grass of the Wu Palace are buried in hidden paths,
Robes and crowns of the Jin Dynasty have become ancient mounds.
Half of the Three Mountains fall beyond the blue sky,
Two rivers divide the White Stork 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 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 basic 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, we have created this series, "Essential Library for Chinese Families." This is a publishing plan that is almost boundless, but it reflects the sincere hearts of us as publishers. We know that the Chinese family is the basic unit of Chinese culture. If Chinese cultural families possess the fundamental 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 1: Classics of the Hundred Schools and Scholars
This includes 16 pre-Qin foundational works such as the Book of Songs, the Book of Changes, the Analects, the Mencius, and the Han Feizi. They are the source of life for the Chinese nation. Zhang Zhidong said, "Pre-Qin writings are worth a thousand gold per character." This accurately summarizes the works of the pre-Qin philosophers.
Volume 2: Selected Works of Famous Poets and Writers
This 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
This 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
This 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 and Writers in capturing the essence of Chinese literature and poetry.
Volume 5: Notes and Miscellaneous Works
This 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
This 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 publishing in installments, gradually building a larger scale. We do not aim for economic benefits from a single book or time but seek to continuously expand our readership. Our hearts are in harmony with the broad readership, so we are confident that we will have 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). He moved with his father to Changlong (now Jiangyou, Sichuan) in his youth and spent most of his life 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 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 court of Yong Wang Li Lin. Unfortunately, Li Lin was involved 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 from the folk arts of his time and the rich traditions of the Yuefu folk songs from the Qin, Han, and Wei dynasties, refining them into his unique style. He possessed extraordinary artistic talent and immense creative power. Everything astonishing, delightful, inspiring, and thought-provoking found its way onto his paper. Du Fu once praised him as "When his brush falls, it startles the wind and rain; when his poem is completed, it moves the gods to tears" (In a Poem to 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 once said, "The writings of Li and Du shine like ten thousand suns, their brilliance eternal" (Regulating Zhang Ji). 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 those that are too long, have not been included. 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 the work of many scholars, including 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 Selection of Editions of Li Bai's Works Throughout History," "A Selection of Works on Li Bai," and "Famous Quotes from the Collected Works of Li Bai."