A Ranking of the Ten Poets Most Beloved by Chinese Textbooks [Live History Broadcast]

[Updated Irregularly]

Sui Le is a graduate student in Chinese literature. She couldn't bear to throw away the study materials she'd used to prepare for her graduate school entrance exams, so she turned them into a video titled "The Ten Literati Most Beloved by Textbooks" and recorded it.

She never expected that the people in her videos themselves, namely her ancestors, would be able to see them!

"Ancient Poets: 15 Figures"

"Our first poet was rebuked by two emperors. He drifted through life and didn't become an official until middle age. His name doesn't even appear in the History of Song. He was the white-robed chancellor, Liu Yong!"

Liu Yong: "What? I'd rather not have that kind of good fortune!"

"If only the flying general of Longcheng were still here, the enemy horses would never cross the Yin Mountains. Wang Changling must have thought that if Wei Qing and Huo Qubing were still alive, they would surely have conquered Loulan!"

Emperor Wu of Han, beaming: "Jealous? Those two were both heroes of the Han!"

"It's a shame Huo Qubing was so ridiculously overpowered that he died young."

Emperor Wu of Han: "What?"

"The Epang Palace covered more than three hundred li, blocking out the sky. What magnificent grandeur! Too bad the people of Chu set it ablaze, reducing it to ashes."

Qin Shi Huang: "What? What happened to my Qin Empire?!"

"Li He said, 'I know not how high the blue sky is, nor how thick the yellow earth.' But today, we can not only fly more than ten thousand meters above the ground, Chang'e 5 can even bring lunar soil back to Earth!"

The emperors: "W-what?! The future world is really that advanced!"

"'Before the expedition could succeed, he died, leaving the heroes to weep, their tears soaking their robes.' Du Fu was praising Zhuge Liang, and hoping that a remarkable man like him would come to save the broken realm of the Tang."

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang: "How did my Tang become a broken realm?! Wait, wasn't Du Fu alive during the Tianbao era?"

"He said, 'I love Master Meng, whose fame for elegance resounds throughout the world.' He also wrote, 'I met Du Fu atop Mount Fanli. He wore a bamboo hat, even though the sun was high at noon.' How many people did the Tang dynasty's social butterfly know? Let's take a look at Li Bai's friendships!"

Li Bai: "Not many, not many. Just a hundred or so."

"Modern Textbook Selections: 8 Stories"

"Texts like 'Autumn Thoughts' and 'The Sight of Father's Back' show that family love has been a constant theme in China for thousands of years, and will always move people. Even though 'Stay right here, I'll go buy some oranges' has become an internet meme, it still can't diminish the deep care our loved ones have for us!"

"The truly courageous dare to face life's bleakness and look directly at its bloody horrors. It is these brave people, one following another, who have made our five thousand years of Chinese history so dazzling!"

1. The author isn't a history student, but will do their best to research. Please point out any mistakes.

2. The rankings are based on statistics, with the author's personal preferences also taken into account. Please don't argue in the comments!

3. The sections on ancient poets mainly cover their lives. The parallel timelines won't affect one another.

4. The protagonist isn't a professional teacher or content creator. The language is lighthearted, and she'll cover lots of extra material. Some poets may get very long sections, so please bear with me.

Theme: Learn from history to understand the rise and fall of dynasties.