Li Yangbing
Encyclopedia
Li Yangbing zi
Shaowen, was a high-ranking Tang Dynasty
Chinese government official (imperial magistrate), important literary figure, noted calligrapher, and relative of the famous Chinese poet Li Bo
. Li Yangbing (also appearing in English as Li Yang-Ping) is notable for being the initial editor and compiler of the poetry of his kinsman, Li Bo; also for writing a preface to this which is important as one of the few primary historical sources on Li Bo.
Li Yangbing was from Zhaojun, or the Zhao Administrative District, which is now Zhao County
, in the Province of Hebei
, China. His first government position was as an official in Jinyun County
, Zhejiang Province
. In 755, An Lushan
declared himself Emperor, fielding military forces against the current Emperor, Xuanzong
. In the ensuing eight years of the disorders, largely conducted under Generals An Lushan and Shi Siming
, death and famine stalked the Central Plain of China
, and the population decreased by the tens-of-millions. By 762, the imperial troops had retaken both sides of the Yellow River
(most of Hebei and Henan
), the rebels were mostly dead and the remnants beleaguered; and, on May 18, Daizong
acceded to the throne as Emperor. In Daizong's first year, Li Yangbing, having succeeded in his career despite the sociopolitical turmoil, was still a powerful government officer, and accordingly was in Baoying County
, Jiangsu Province
.
In the meantime, things had not gone so well for Li Yangbing's close relative, the famous poet and former court favorite, Li Bo; who, in fact, had gotten on quite the wrong side of things politically, and who, narrowly escaping the death sentence, condemned and en-route to exile, then was reprieved – all due to the intervention of leading Tang General Guo Ziyi
. Looking for a place of refuge, Li Bo headed for Dangtu
, on the southern bank of the Yangzi River (now part of Ma'anshan
, in today's Anhui Province
), where his relative Li Yangbing was now governor. (Li Yangbing was probably Li Bo's father's younger brother.)
When his famous relative Li Bo arrived in Dangtu, in his skiff, Li Yangbing was the chief magistrate there; although this governmental service was not what his "heart coveted", and nearing retirement. Li Bo, older than Li Yangbing, became progressively sick, to the point of being a bed-ridden invalid. Already near retirement, Li Yangbing visited Li Bo on his death bed, where he was entrusted with the care of Li Bo's hastily scrawled and disorganized poetry manuscripts.
Li Yangbing was able to use his literary and calligraphic talents, together with the extra time available by his retirement, to prepare the first corpus of collected Li Bo poetry; despite that, according to Li Yangbing, out of the eight years of the An Shi Rebellion turmoil, Li Bo's "writings of those years were lost, nine out of ten. What are preserved ... are for the most part what I obtained from others." Li Yangbing's diligence in collecting, editing, and publishing Li Bo's poems would eventually lead to the first collected works of Li Bo's poems, with results which would resound through the literary world through the centuries, and which re-echo even through the present day.
Chinese style name
A Chinese style name, sometimes also known as a courtesy name , is a given name to be used later in life. After 20 years of age, the zì is assigned in place of one's given name as a symbol of adulthood and respect...
Shaowen, was a high-ranking Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
Chinese government official (imperial magistrate), important literary figure, noted calligrapher, and relative of the famous Chinese poet Li Bo
Li Bai
Li Bai , also known in the West by various other transliterations, especially Li Po, was a major Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty poetry period. He has been regarded as one of the greatest poets in China's Tang period, which is often called China's "golden age" of poetry. Around a thousand existing...
. Li Yangbing (also appearing in English as Li Yang-Ping) is notable for being the initial editor and compiler of the poetry of his kinsman, Li Bo; also for writing a preface to this which is important as one of the few primary historical sources on Li Bo.
Li Yangbing was from Zhaojun, or the Zhao Administrative District, which is now Zhao County
Zhao County
Zhao County , a historic town called Zhaozhou in the past, is located in Hebei 40 km southeast of the provincial capital Shijiazhuang, and 280 km south of Beijing. Its total land area is 675 km² and total population is around 550,000...
, in the Province of Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
, China. His first government position was as an official in Jinyun County
Jinyun County
Jinyun County is a county of Zhejiang, China. It is under the administration of the Lishui city....
, Zhejiang Province
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
. In 755, An Lushan
An Lushan
An Lushan was a general who rebelled against the Tang Dynasty in China.His name was also transcribed into Chinese as Āluòshān or Gáluòshān ,...
declared himself Emperor, fielding military forces against the current Emperor, Xuanzong
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang , also commonly known as Emperor Ming of Tang , personal name Li Longji , known as Wu Longji from 690 to 705, was the seventh emperor of the Tang dynasty in China, reigning from 712 to 756. His reign of 43 years was the longest during the Tang Dynasty...
. In the ensuing eight years of the disorders, largely conducted under Generals An Lushan and Shi Siming
An Shi Rebellion
The An Lushan Rebellion took place in China during the Tang Dynasty from CE December 16, 755 to CE February 17, 763, beginning when general An Lushan declared himself emperor, establishing the rival Yan Dynasty in Northern China...
, death and famine stalked the Central Plain of China
Central Plain (China)
Zhongyuan or the Central Plain of China refers to the area on the lower reaches of the Yellow River which formed the cradle of Chinese civilization. It forms part of the North China Plain....
, and the population decreased by the tens-of-millions. By 762, the imperial troops had retaken both sides of the Yellow River
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
(most of Hebei and Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
), the rebels were mostly dead and the remnants beleaguered; and, on May 18, Daizong
Emperor Daizong of Tang
Emperor Daizong of Tang , personal name Li Yu , né Li Chu , was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty....
acceded to the throne as Emperor. In Daizong's first year, Li Yangbing, having succeeded in his career despite the sociopolitical turmoil, was still a powerful government officer, and accordingly was in Baoying County
Baoying County
Baoying County is a county in Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China under the administration of Yangzhou City. It has a population of 919,900 and a land area of .-References:*...
, Jiangsu Province
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
.
In the meantime, things had not gone so well for Li Yangbing's close relative, the famous poet and former court favorite, Li Bo; who, in fact, had gotten on quite the wrong side of things politically, and who, narrowly escaping the death sentence, condemned and en-route to exile, then was reprieved – all due to the intervention of leading Tang General Guo Ziyi
Guo Ziyi
Guo Ziyi , formally Prince Zhongwu of Fenyang , was a general during the Tang Dynasty who ended the An Shi Rebellion, and participated in expeditions against the peoples of Huihe and Tubo...
. Looking for a place of refuge, Li Bo headed for Dangtu
Dangtu County
Dangtu County is the only county under the jurisdiction of Ma'anshan City in eastern Anhui Province, People's Republic of China. Dangtu is one of the longest established counties in eastern China and formed part of the Taiping Prefecture during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.-Culture:Dangtu County...
, on the southern bank of the Yangzi River (now part of Ma'anshan
Ma'anshan
Ma'anshan , also written as Maanshan, is a prefecture-level city in the east of Anhui province in Eastern China. An industrial city stretching across the Yangtze River, Ma'anshan borders Hefei to the west, Wuhu to the southwest, and Nanjing to the east...
, in today's Anhui Province
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
), where his relative Li Yangbing was now governor. (Li Yangbing was probably Li Bo's father's younger brother.)
When his famous relative Li Bo arrived in Dangtu, in his skiff, Li Yangbing was the chief magistrate there; although this governmental service was not what his "heart coveted", and nearing retirement. Li Bo, older than Li Yangbing, became progressively sick, to the point of being a bed-ridden invalid. Already near retirement, Li Yangbing visited Li Bo on his death bed, where he was entrusted with the care of Li Bo's hastily scrawled and disorganized poetry manuscripts.
Li Yangbing was able to use his literary and calligraphic talents, together with the extra time available by his retirement, to prepare the first corpus of collected Li Bo poetry; despite that, according to Li Yangbing, out of the eight years of the An Shi Rebellion turmoil, Li Bo's "writings of those years were lost, nine out of ten. What are preserved ... are for the most part what I obtained from others." Li Yangbing's diligence in collecting, editing, and publishing Li Bo's poems would eventually lead to the first collected works of Li Bo's poems, with results which would resound through the literary world through the centuries, and which re-echo even through the present day.
See also
- History of the administrative divisions of China
- Classical Chinese poetryClassical Chinese poetrythumb|right|300px|Attributed to [[Han Gan]], Huiyebai , about 750CE .Classical Chinese poetry is that type of poetry that is the traditional Chinese poetry written in Classical Chinese. It is typified by certain traditional forms, or modes, and certain traditional genres...
- Li Bo, also known as Li BaiLi BaiLi Bai , also known in the West by various other transliterations, especially Li Po, was a major Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty poetry period. He has been regarded as one of the greatest poets in China's Tang period, which is often called China's "golden age" of poetry. Around a thousand existing...
- Ma'anshanMa'anshanMa'anshan , also written as Maanshan, is a prefecture-level city in the east of Anhui province in Eastern China. An industrial city stretching across the Yangtze River, Ma'anshan borders Hefei to the west, Wuhu to the southwest, and Nanjing to the east...
- Provinces in the Tang Dynasty