Climbing up the Phoenix Terrace: a Political Satire by Li Bai

One of the functions of poetry during imperial China was to communicate the concerns of the common people to the ruling class, especially the Emperor in reign. Du Fu and Bai Ju-yi are the best poets performing this task. However, although Li Bai is known for his wild imagination and wilder drunken behaviours, he nonetheless followed this tradition. This video presents a rare poem of a political satire against Emperor 李隆基 whom Li Bai served for two years and left in disappointment.

Source of thumbnail: https://digitalarchive.npm.gov.tw/Col...

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