Five Periods of Li Bai’s Life

1. Studying and traveling in Sichuan before the age of 25.

I went to Jiangyou County with my father when I was five years old. (Called Liujia.), "Observe hundreds of schools at the age of ten", "Excellent swordsmanship at the age of fifteen", "Wander the gods at the age of fifteen", "Observe the wonders of the book at the age of fifteen, write Fu Ling Xiangru". When he was less than twenty years old, Su Ting met Li Bai and said that he was "genius and handsome, comparable to Xiangru." Taoist master Sima Chengzhen said that he had "immortal style and Taoist bones."

2. The grand tour and official career period. Before the age of 41. Li Bai disdained to take part in the imperial examination, hoping to get the chance to be recommended through wandering, "going to the country with a sword, leaving relatives and traveling far away". When he arrived in Anlu, Hubei, he married the granddaughter of Master Xu Yu (YU), the prime minister of Emperor Gaozong, and stayed here for more than ten years.

3. Three years of official service in Chang'an. 42-44. Some people have verified that Li Bai entered Chang'an twice, once in the late Kaiyuan period, but returned without success. In the first year of Tianbao, probably due to the recommendation of Princess Yuzhen, Wu Jun, He Zhizhang and others, writers from Chang'an were recruited to serve in the Imperial Academy. "Look up to the sky and go out laughing. How can we be the people of Penghao." But he actually worshiped it with the title of the poem. However, Li Bai was too self-reliant and unprepared. He still drank and sang wildly and was unruly: "I was sleeping in a restaurant in Chang'an City, but the emperor couldn't get on the ship when he called me." Later, he was ostracized and was given gold to release him. The second visit to Chang'an was very important in Li Bai's life, which made his subsequent creations have a strong ideological and political nature.

4. Travel period again. 45-55 years old. After leaving Chang'an, Li Bai began to roam again. In Luoyang, he met Du Fu who was going to Chang'an. Du Suibai traveled there, and the two had been friends for nearly a year. (Li Bai had two poems with Du, and Du had twelve poems dedicated to Bai.) Later, Bai married the granddaughter of Zong Chuke, the prime minister of Empress Wu. During this period, Bai was keen on seeking immortality and visiting Taoism.

5. The Anshi Rebellion period. 56-62 years old. After the Anshi Rebellion, Bai lived in seclusion in Lushan. Xuanzong went to Shu, and after Mawei, Suzong succeeded to the throne in Lingwu. When Xuanzong was still unknown in Chengdu, he issued an official document and ordered his son to pacify the world. King Yong Li Lin recruited tens of thousands of soldiers in Jiangling and went east to quell the chaos, but he actually had other ambitions. He passed through Lushan and appointed Li Bai as his staff. Bai was a person who did not understand politics. He only entered the scene out of the intention of serving the country and reassuring the people. He wrote "The Song of King Yong's Eastern Patrol": "Three rivers and northern captives are in chaos, and the four seas are collapsing like Yongjia; but Yongdong Mountain thanks Anshi and talks and laughs for the king. "Jinghu Sha." Suzong suppressed King Yong with rebellion, and was charged with "rebellion" in Changliu Yelang (today's west of Zheng'an County, Guizhou). Xuanzong returned the capital and granted amnesty to the whole world, and returned it in vain. According to Guo Moruo's research, the poem "Chaoci Baidi Caiyunjian" was written by Li Bai when he heard that he was pardoned, and he was very happy. He traveled from Jiujiang to the Three Gorges for more than a year, and when he came back, he said, "A thousand miles of rivers and mountains are returned in a day."