My dear readers, now it is the time to share the Tang Dynasty poetry with you again.
But firstly, let's look at a photo of my cute baby niece. Do you know what kind of hairstyle she is in？Of course, it is not the real photo, but a synthetic art photo.
Yeah, you're right. It is a popular hairstyle of noblewomen in Tang Dynasty , especially representing the the Magnificent Concubine named Yang Yuhuan(杨玉环/杨贵妃) --- the favorite of the Emperor Tang Xuanzong. Among the ornaments in this hairstyle, the most striking one is a large peony, being still regared as the national flower of China now; another is called the gold Step Shake/步摇--a type of hairpin hanging with the long, long tassels made of the metal or jade, rather fashionable at that time.
The legend is that the Magnificent Concubine was not only a fantastically beautiful lady, but an outstanding dancer. Meanwhile the Emperor Tang Xuanzong himself was a great musician, revered as "the founder of Chinese opera" until today. They perfectly cooperated with each other in the art, creating the famous gorgeous "Rainbow Skirt and Feather Garment song and dance（霓裳羽衣曲）".
It comes as no surprise that she was favored and even spoiled by the Emperor. However, can you imagine to what extent she was pampered by her husband---that amorous Emperor？Oh, it is really an extremely rare love and loyalty between emperor and his woman existing in the whole Chinese history， tantamount to the Taj Mahal's Chinese version. Don't forget that Chinese Emperors were legally allowed to have a lot of women/wives which is very different from the western tradition. As usual, Chinese women are lower than men in the marriage even in the modern Chinese society.
Below is just that well-known Tang poem written by Du Mu(杜牧) which depicts a scene of the extravagant court life about Yang Yuhuan/Concubine(杨贵妃).
过华清宫
杜牧（唐）
长安回望绣成堆，山顶千门次第开(k/ai)。
一骑红尘妃子笑，无人知是荔枝来(l/ai)。
The Summer Palace
（Du Mu/Tang Dynasty）
Viewed from afar, the hill's paved with brocades in piles; (iles)
The palace doors on hilltops opened one by one. (n)
A steed raising red dust won the mistress' smiles. (iles)
None knows how many steeds bringing lichi died on the run! (n)
The above English translation is from Xu Yuanchong/许渊冲 again whom I have mentioned a few times in my previous blogs.
一骑红尘妃子笑
is wide-spread in China as a classic saying, so much so that a kind of lichi is named after "妃子笑/Fei Zi Xiao" in the market nowadays.
God, how to win the mistress/concubine's smiles(妃子笑)？It is a high price of many horses' lives. Here the author/poet was heavy with sarcasm. The ruling/previliged class was ignoring the common people's hard and miserable lives only to satisfy their own desires, regardless of the fact that their love and happiness was based on others' immense suffering. (Their true love's tragic ending is another story. )
Of course, this poem also reflects how delicious and precious lichi could be in Tang Dynasty from the side. Lichi is a tropical kind of perishable fruit growing in South China, and only can be edible when they are freshly picked from the tree. Whereas the capital of Tang Dynasty---Chang'an city where the emperor and Concubine Yang lived lies in North China, far away from the south, and lacking of the modern freezing technology and developed vehicles. So in order that Concubine Yang could eat the freshest lichi, the Emperor Tang Xuanzong thought out a special way--setting up a lot of courier stations from south to north and making the steeds run in the relay race. Be that as it may, the galloping horses were often found tired to death during the trip.
(Lichi fruit)
What's more, it is said that Concubine Yang had an passion for the hot spring bath besides lichi. The Emperor especially built a temperory palace titled Huaqing Palace/华清宫 on the top of Mountion Li/ 骊山 which is noted for its hot springs. The poem sentence----"The palace doors on hilltops opened one by one" just proves this point.
Mountain Li is located in the rural area of Chang'an city which is today's Xi'an city in Shann'Xi province. Very luckily, I've ever paid a visit to Mountain Li before. I highly recommend it to foreigners if they have an interest to travel in China in the future. It is really an ideal resort full of romantic and historical atmosphere.
Do you enjoy this poem？Let me know down in the comments. Your support is my biggest motivation to open the door towards China for the outside world through the ancient Chinese poems.
Thanks for your watching!