The Poet as One: A Biography of Li Shangyin

"The Zither's Unanswered Mystery: Li Shangyin's Life in Verse" centers on the idea that poetry and history can illuminate each other. Across four volumes, it traces the poet's life, from studying with Daoists to weathering the rise and fall of factional struggles. The novel innovatively blends historical research on the Tang dynasty with surreal storytelling, using images such as the zither, the bluebird, and blood-ink to connect three layers of time and space, breaking away from the traditional biographical format. By reimagining female figures such as Song Huayang and Wang Youwei, it reveals the many dimensions of emotion behind the poetry. It also explores the timeless vitality of classical poetry through modern concepts such as quantum poetic realms.