Bai Juyi

Bai Juyi was a renowned Chinese poet and Tang dynasty government official. Many of his poems concern his career or observations made about everyday life, including as governor of three different provinces. Burton Watson says of Bai Juyi he worked to develop a style that was simple and easy to understand, and posterity has requited his efforts by making him one of the most wellloved and widely read of all Chinese poets, both in his native land and in the other countries of the East that participate in the appreciation of Chinese culture. He is also, thanks to the translations and biographical studies by Arthur Waley, one of the most accessible to English readers. Bai was also influential in the historical development of Japanese literature. His younger brother Bai Xingjian was a short story writer.

Bai Juyi lived during the Middle Tang period. This was a period of rebuilding and recovery for the Tang Empire, following the An Lushan Rebellion, and following the poetically flourishing era famous for Li Bai , Wang Wei , and Du Fu . Bai Juyi lived through the reigns of eight or nine emperors, being born in the Dali regnal era of Emperor Daizong of Tang. He had a long and successful career both as a government official and a poet, although these two facets of his career seemed to have come in conflict with each other at certain points. Bai Juyi was also a devoted Chan Buddhist.

Source: Wikipedia