Everything has two sides, and our perception of things depends on objectivity. Behind imperfection, there often lies another beautiful possibility. ——Epigraph
The Failed Scholar: Over two thousand years ago, on the day the results were announced, he failed. The bright red list was long, yet it could not accommodate his two-character name. Despite ten years of hard study, he found no place at the Qionglin Banquet. Resigned, he hired a small boat to return home. Traveling by boat under the moonlight, he arrived at the beautiful ancient city of Suzhou. Unable to sleep, he stood at the bow of the boat to admire the night scenery. A crescent moon hung in the sky, scattered lights flickered on the river, and the distant bells of the Hanshan Temple rang through the night, serving as a wake-up call. In that moment of inspiration, he took up his brush and wrote a poem in the dark. The poem was "Mooring on the Maple Bridge," and he was Zhang Ji, the failed scholar from two thousand years ago.
The Proud Poet: He was a poet of immense talent, recruited into the palace, only to be marginalized for offending the powerful. Though his ambitions were thwarted, he remained proud. He sang loudly, "I laugh toward the sky as I go out, for we are not men of the reeds." He was the immortal poet, uninhibited and proud, untainted by the world. Because he refused to compromise, he demanded Gao Lishi to remove his boots in court and sought to release white deer among the green cliffs in the wild. Looking back at the scrolls of the Tang Dynasty, it is not the emperors who stand out, but him—Li Bai. As wine flows into a troubled heart, seven parts turn into moonlight and three parts into a sword's aura; a single breath of his poetry captures half of the Great Tang. His political setbacks became his poetic triumphs, creating the "Poet Immortal."
The Patriot: In the desolate streets of Chang'an, where weeds nearly swallowed the roads in spring, he witnessed the volatility of life and the coldness of human nature during times of chaos. Facing a cruel world, he used his pen as a whip to lash out at the corrupt society. He witnessed the transition of the Tang Dynasty from prosperity to collapse, pouring all his sorrows and emotions into his poems so that future generations could clearly see. He was Du Fu, the poet who deeply cared for his country and its people.
All things have two sides; perfection can be found within imperfection. Just as God closes one door only to open another, or as the broken arms of Venus contribute to her beauty, have you discovered the beautiful other side?
