Li Bai: The Banished Immortal Timeline

Li Bai: The Banished Immortal 17

701 Li Bai is born Born in the Tang frontier region of Central Asia Li Bai was born in 701, traditionally at Suyab (Suiye) in Central Asia, although some scholars place his birth in Sichuan. His family claimed descent from a Han-dynasty general and later traced its line to the Tang imperial Li clan.
705 Li Bai's family settles in Sichuan Childhood in Changlong county, Mianzhou Around 705 the family moved to Changlong county in Sichuan, near present-day Jiangyou. Li Bai grew up there, reading widely and practising swordsmanship.
724 Li Bai leaves Sichuan to travel the Yangtze Start of years of wandering in central and eastern China In about 724 Li Bai left Sichuan and travelled down the Yangtze River. He visited Dongting Lake, Jinling (Nanjing) and Yangzhou, looking for patrons and for the official career he hoped for.
727 Li Bai marries into the Xu family at Anlu Marriage to a granddaughter of former chancellor Xu Yushi Around 727 Li Bai married a granddaughter of the former chancellor Xu Yushi and settled at Anlu in Hubei. He lived there for about ten years and had a daughter and a son.
730 Li Bai sees Meng Haoran off at the Yellow Crane Tower Inspiration for one of his best-known farewell poems Around 730 Li Bai said goodbye to the older poet Meng Haoran at the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuchang. He marked the occasion with the quatrain 'Seeing Meng Haoran Off to Guangling'.
742 He Zhizhang calls Li Bai the 'Banished Immortal' The famous nickname zhexian is coined in Chang'an In Chang'an the senior poet He Zhizhang read Li Bai's work and called him a 'banished immortal', an immortal exiled from heaven to earth. The name stayed with Li Bai, and both men were later counted among the 'Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup'.
742 Li Bai is summoned to Chang'an by Emperor Xuanzong Appointed to the Hanlin Academy In 742 Emperor Xuanzong called Li Bai to the capital, Chang'an, and placed him in the Hanlin Academy. There he wrote verse for the court, but he was given no real political office.
744 Li Bai is ordained as a Daoist Receives a Daoist register in Qizhou In 744 Li Bai formally received a Daoist register at Qizhou (modern Jinan) in Shandong. This confirmed his long devotion to Daoist practice and the search for immortality.
744 Li Bai leaves the imperial court Dismissed with a gift of gold after court intrigue In 744 Li Bai lost favour at court, reportedly because of slander by powerful courtiers, and was allowed to leave with a gift of gold. He went back to a life of travel.
744 Li Bai meets Du Fu in Luoyang Start of literature's most celebrated friendship In 744 Li Bai met the younger poet Du Fu at Luoyang. The two travelled together through Henan and Shandong, sometimes joined by the poet Gao Shi.
745 Li Bai and Du Fu part for the last time Final meeting in Lu commandery, Shandong In 745 Li Bai and Du Fu said goodbye at Shimen in Lu commandery and never met again. Du Fu went on to write a number of poems remembering his friend.
750 Li Bai marries Lady Zong Second marriage, to a granddaughter of chancellor Zong Chuke After his first wife died, Li Bai married a granddaughter of the former chancellor Zong Chuke, around 750 in the Liangyuan area of Henan. Lady Zong shared his interest in Daoism.
756 Li Bai joins the staff of Prince Yong Enters Li Lin's service during the An Lushan Rebellion When the An Lushan Rebellion broke out, Li Bai joined the staff of Li Lin, Prince of Yong, late in 756. The prince's independent campaign on the Yangtze was soon treated as rebellion by the new emperor, Suzong.
757 Li Bai is imprisoned at Xunyang Arrested after the defeat of Prince Yong After Prince Yong's forces were defeated in 757, Li Bai was arrested and held in prison at Xunyang (modern Jiujiang). Officials including Song Ruosi spoke up for him.
758 Li Bai is sentenced to exile in Yelang Banished to the far southwest In 758 Li Bai was sentenced to exile in Yelang, in what is now Guizhou. He set off up the Yangtze toward his place of banishment.
759 Li Bai is pardoned and departs Baidi Amnesty celebrated in 'Departing Baidi in the Morning' In 759 an amnesty reached Li Bai near Baidi in the Three Gorges before he arrived in Yelang. He turned back down the Yangtze and celebrated with the quatrain 'Departing Baidi in the Morning'.
762 Li Bai dies at Dangtu Dies while staying with his kinsman Li Yangbing Li Bai died in 762 at Dangtu in Anhui, where he was staying with his relative Li Yangbing, who gathered his poems into a collection. A later legend says he drowned while drunkenly trying to embrace the moon's reflection in the river.