Art, literature & culture

Death of Li Bai

30 November 762 CE

Li Bai died on 30 November 762 CE in Dangtu County, aged 61. A Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty, Li Bai, also known as Li Po, is considered one of the greatest poets in Chinese literature, along with his contemporary and friend Du Fu. He spent much of his life wandering and was known for a free, romantic spirit, a love of wine, nature and the moon, and for imaginative and musical verse. He held a brief appointment at the court of Emperor Xuanzong in Chang'an but left it. Many of his poems, such as Quiet Night Thought, are still memorised by Chinese schoolchildren. Legends grew around his life and death, including that he drowned trying to embrace the moon's reflection.

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This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 8th century.