A live-streamed Chinese language lesson under the sky—the ancients were taken aback.

"But the confidence that the Tang Dynasty gave Li Bai was not just based on money."

In the small window in the lower right corner of the picture, Zhiwubuyan picked up the wine bowl and twirled it in his hand.

"More importantly, it's about the relaxation of people's hearts."

Economic growth brings not only wealth, but also hope for upward mobility in society.

The emergence of the imperial examination system allowed children from poor families to rise in the ranks based on their talents.

With the rise of the wandering culture, scholars no longer needed to be confined to their hometowns; they could establish themselves through social connections and literary fame.

Society generally accepts the principle that talent brings opportunity.

This is the true source of confidence that "everyone has their own unique talents."

This was not just Li Bai's self-consolation; it was the collective belief of the entire era.

Even if their careers falter, they won't doubt their own worth; at worst, they can turn to traveling, enjoying nature, drinking wine, and composing poetry—their lives will still be expansive.

-

The scene shifts to the Qujiang Pool in Chang'an.

A group of scholars are drinking and chatting, their wine cups drifting along the winding stream, and whoever's cup floats to them must compose a poem.

There were scholars in brocade robes, commoners in square scarves, elderly men with white hair and beards, and young men in their early twenties.

They were strangers to each other, but when the wine glass floated in front of them, each of them stood up generously and recited a poem to the spring waters of Qujiang.

People around cheered or made a fuss, regardless of their social status, only whether the poem was good or bad.

This social atmosphere gives everyone, regardless of their background, the right to be confident.

There is more than one path to self-confidence, and more than one way to live life.

"The Tang Dynasty was also characterized by cultural openness."

Chang'an and Luoyang were world-class metropolises, and merchants, women, and musicians from the Central Asian region were everywhere.

The collision of diverse cultures has given rise to the most open aesthetics. When writing about mountains and rivers, people write "The Yellow River flows down from the sky." When writing about life, people write "Enjoy life to the fullest when you are successful."

His vision is cosmic, his emotions are open and honest, and he never acts coy or pretentious.

Li Bai's eccentricity was essentially a personification of the spirit of the Tang Dynasty.

His talent just happened to flourish in this most inclusive and vibrant era.

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Liu Che watched as those scholars in plain clothes stood up and recited poems.

He founded the Imperial Academy and established the Five Classics Doctors, giving Confucian scholars a way out.

But he never imagined that commoners and nobles would drink and recite poetry by the same pool.

"What a lack of respect for elders."

There were also literary figures in Liu Che's era, such as Sima Xiangru and Dongfang Shuo, who were talented men around him.

But Sima Xiangru was always respectful in front of him, and Dongfang Shuo could only offer advice through humor; no one dared to be truly arrogant in front of him.

-

In the scene, Li Bai stands up, holding a wine cup.

He walked to the window, and the street scene outside gradually disappeared, replaced by the Yellow River, the great river rushing down from the horizon.

Li Bai looked at the Yellow River and spoke.

It wasn't reciting poetry, it was speaking, like answering a question from an old friend.

Don’t you see, the water of the Yellow River comes from the sky and rushes to the sea without returning.

Have you not seen the sorrow reflected in the bright mirror of the high hall, where white hair, once black as silk in the morning, has turned to snow by evening?

"Ordinary people write about the fleeting nature of time, saying 'time flies,' while Li Bai, when writing about time, directly uses the Yellow River as a footnote."

This is the worldview of the poets of the Tang Dynasty: they were never trapped in their own petty emotions, and were accustomed to viewing life on the scale of heaven, earth, mountains and rivers.

The Yellow River rushes on and never returns, just as life is fleeting and aging is a force that is essentially the same as the force that drives us to our old age – an irreversible force.

The two lines "Have you not seen?" burst forth from nowhere, like a shout to heaven and earth, setting the tone for the entire piece right from the start.

There is no petty melancholy, only a profound and poignant confrontation with the essence of life.

The landscapes described by poets of the High Tang Dynasty were all grand scenes: lone smoke rising from the desert, the setting sun over the long river, the Yellow River rushing to the sea, and towering snow-capped mountains.

The phrase "As black as silk in the morning, as white as snow by evening" is not a realistic depiction, but rather an impressionistic one. It compresses a lifetime of aging into a single day, giving time its weight.

……

He paused, then raised his voice slightly.

"What would most people say in the face of such irreversibility?"

"Time flies, cherish every moment," a sincere and earnest piece of advice.

But Li Bai was no ordinary man; he would say…”

"Enjoy life to the fullest when you are successful, and don't let the golden goblet face the moon empty."

"Everyone has their own unique talents, and though I may spend all my money, it will come back again."

"Many people misinterpret these two sentences as passively giving up, but on the contrary, they represent the most positive attitude towards life."

He put down his wine bowl without hesitation, saying, "When life is good, enjoy it to the fullest." This wasn't about indulging in pleasure, but rather Li Bai's open-mindedness.

Since life is short, let's cherish every moment of happiness, without being conflicted, hypocritical, or pretending to be indifferent to worldly desires.

In an era of economic abundance, people need not be ashamed to talk about happiness, nor should they bind themselves with the idea of ​​"finding joy in poverty."

The line "Everyone has their own unique talents" is the soul of the entire poem.

He had just been granted gold and released by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, his political ideals shattered. Others might have wallowed in self-pity, but Li Bai would not.

His self-worth has never needed to be defined by emperors or official positions.

The prosperous Tang Dynasty gave him this confidence, and his talent gave him this confidence.

Money can be earned back, and if one path is blocked, another can be taken. As long as you're still alive and have talent, there's always a chance to turn things around.

"Let us cook lamb and slaughter cattle for pleasure, and drink three hundred cups of wine in one go."

Master Cen, Dan Qiusheng, will be drinking, not stop drinking.

I'll sing you a song; please lend me your ear.

"By writing this, Li Bai was already quite drunk."

The sentences suddenly become shorter and the pace quickens, like tapping a glass at a dinner table to urge someone to drink, instantly creating a vivid image.

Three hundred cups is an exaggeration, but the Tang Dynasty literati considered drinking heavily as a virtue at banquets.

What's even more touching is the sense of relaxation. There's no hierarchy or social class in officialdom, no hypocrisy or pretense of self-interest. There are only three close friends, enjoying good wine and meat, drinking and singing to their hearts' content.

This is also what makes the Tang Dynasty so charming: the social interactions among literati relied on shared ideals and sentiments, not on differences in social status.

Even if you're a disillusioned former Hanlin scholar, as long as you're talented and interesting, you can still have a great time drinking with your friends.

The crisp sound of the three people clinking bowls can be heard in the video.

Then Li Bai slammed the empty bowl on the table, stood up, picked up his chopsticks, tapped the rim of the bowl, and began to sing.

The phrase "Don't stop drinking" marks the turning point in the poem's rhythm; from this point onward, the poem races forward relentlessly without looking back.

Cen Xun was a hermit, Yuan Danqiu was a Taoist priest, and Li Bai was unemployed. None of the three held official positions, yet they drank more happily than anyone else.

……