LI SHANG-YIN

born 813, Ho-nei, Honan Province, China died 858, Cheng-chou, Honan Province Pinyin Li Shangyin Chinese poet remembered for his elegance and obscurity. A member of a family of minor officials, Li Shang-yin pursued a generally unsuccessful career as a government official, composing poetry during and between his various posts. He died a disillusioned but proud man whose genius few of his contemporaries recognized. Until the second half of the 20th century little of Li Shang-yin's poetry had been studied seriously by Western critics, despite the fact that Chinese scholars since the Sung dynasty (9601279) had paid close attention to his work. To Chinese critics he has been one of the most controversial, difficult, and complex of poets because of his use of exotic imagery, abstruse allusions, political allegory, and personal satire involving both historical and contemporary events and figures. These qualities also make his poetry difficult to translate, and little of it has appeared in European languages. Li Shang-yin's works reflect the social and political conditions of his time, and they greatly influenced early Sung poets.