China is a country rich in poetry. The poetic tradition developed from Shi Jing, The Book of Songs and Chu Ci, Elegies of Chu, and got its peak during the Tang Dynasty(朝代). Poets left grand palaces and threw themselves into a big world. They traveled to famous mountains and rivers and the deserts and wastelands where they sang to their hearts' contents(满足).
Tang Dynasty poets had sung for three centuries in different tones. They included many excellent writers in the Tang period, such as Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi and Li Shangyin. “Poems of the Tang Dynasty” which first appeared in the Qing Dynasty has collected more than 48,900 poems that were written by over 2.200 poets. But the book didn't cover all the poems of the Tang Dynasty.
During the Tang Dynasty, poems were recited when lovers walk under the moonlight. Poems were also recited when soldiers fought on the battlefield. People recited them in the open air or at temple fairs. They were enjoyed by both the nobility and common people. Even aged women and children could recite some Tang poems.
Reading Tang Poetry has also become a way of life that has affected the Chinese people for generations.