Song of Dreams and Song of the Ugly Slave

After a rain, Li Qingzhao once propositioned her husband and wrote the suggestive poem “Ugly Slave,” leaving readers longing for more. She was a queen in her own right, the greatest gambler of the Northern Song. She never lost a bet and even left future generations a guide to gambling. She was a hard drinker who often drank herself into oblivion, a legendary bad girl and a master of the cutting retort. She called Liu Yong’s lyrics unbearably vulgar, said Su Shi and Ouyang Xiu couldn’t keep their rhythms straight, and claimed Wang Anshi was only suited to writing academic papers.

In an ancient world that prized lifelong fidelity, she married twice and personally sent her husbands to prison. Yet this rebellious madwoman still managed to dominate the entire Song dynasty’s poetry scene.