Li Bai (701-762), styled Taibai, the greatest romantic poet of the Tang dynasty, honoured as the "Poet Immortal".

His life was free and wild: leaving Sichuan as a youth with a sword, wandering and befriending everyone, briefly an academy scholar in Chang an before quitting court life to roam again.

Famous lines: "moonlight before my bed", "the flying torrent drops three thousand feet", "someday I will ride the wind and waves", "raising my cup, I invite the moon" - imagination and grandeur in every verse.

Legend says he wrote a hundred poems on a jug of wine and died reaching for the moon from a boat; with Du Fu he forms the twin peaks of Tang poetry, "Li-Du".

Where to feel Li Bai: his hometown Jiangyou in Sichuan, his tomb in Dangtu, Anhui, Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan and the Phoenix Terrace in Nanjing - poetry trails everywhere.

For learners: Li Bai verse is beautiful and open-hearted - memorising ten of his best poems is a shortcut to the beauty of Chinese.

"A single utterance from Li Bai is half the High Tang" - contemporary poet Yu Guangzhong said this, meaning one line from Li Bai brings the Tang glory alive.

Li Bai was born in the golden age; then Chang An was the most prosperous city on earth, with merchants, monks and students of every nation on its streets. His verse brims with that era confidence and grandeur.

Of his own spirit: "laughing skyward, I go out the door - how could a man like me be one of the common weeds?"

Of friendship: "the water of Peach Blossom Lake is a thousand feet deep, yet not as deep as the feeling Wang Lun sends me off with."

Of parting: "the lonely sail fades into the blue horizon; I see only the Yangtze flowing toward the sky edge."

Of wine: "in life be joyful while you may; never let the golden cup stand empty facing the moon."

With his verse he fixed the High Tang boldness, confidence, romance and freedom on paper forever. Hence the saying: without Li Bai, the High Tang is incomplete.

For Chinese learners, Li Bai is the best teacher: bold diction, rich imagination - his poems teach the liveliest Chinese expression.

One utterance from Li Bai is half the High Tang; after reading his poems, you possess that half romantic.

Li Bai verse has another trait: perfect for reciting. Bright rhythm, ringing sound, singing like flow. In school recitation contests, Li Bai is always the most popular poet. Try reciting one yourself, such as Invitation to Wine: "Do you not see the Yellow River waters coming from heaven, rushing to the sea never to return?" Read it aloud and feel the thrill - that is the power of Li Bai poetry, across a thousand years still igniting passion.

Read a poem a thousand times and its meaning appears - Li Bai verse deserves rereading.

Reading Li Bai, spirit soars; learning Chinese, joy abounds.

Learn Chinese with Li Bai; every line is scenery.

Read poetry, read people, read China - start with Li Bai.

May poetry accompany you through life.