CHINESE POETRY.

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Yuxuan Tang Song shichun ("Imperially Selected Treasury of Tang and Song Poetry"). A mid- to late-Qing dynasty printing of this poetry collection prepared on the orders of the Qianlong emperor, including works by Du Fu and Li Bai, the unsurpassed masters of Chinese poetry's golden age, as well as Bai Juyi, Han Yu, Lu You, and Su Shi.Within a few hundred years of their deaths, Du and Li were already considered China's greatest poets. Du's deep and emotive poems were inspired by his personal experiences and the momentous events of his day, including the 755 An Lushan Rebellion. "In Chinese culture, his works have been virtually canonized because, as the expression of the Chinese mind and moral being in their highest form, their supremacy in literature has been placed beyond merely literary considerations... In the literary matters of innovative technique and the establishment of many new subgenres, Du Fu is also seen as without peer" (Chou p. 1).Li Bai's poems were heavily influenced by his free and eremitic lifestyle. They often took the form of dreams or spirit-journeys exploring themes such as reclusion, friendship, the beauty of nature, and the effects of drunkenness. "The infectious rhythm of much of his poetry makes his lines memorable, and the vividness of pictures he paints in words brings to life the scenes and places he describes" (Brown, p. 542).Completed in 1750, the compilation was overseen by Liang Shizheng (1697-1767), the emperor's trusted cultural advisor, and

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