Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.
Li Shangyin (Chinese: 李商隱, c. 813–858) was a Chinese poet and politician of the late Tang dynasty, known for his evocative and highly allusive poetry. His works, often rich in imagery and emotion, frequently explore themes of love, longing, and political disillusionment. He is particularly famous for his untitled poems (無題, wútí), which have inspired centuries of interpretation and debate. Despite his literary brilliance, Li’s political career was marked by struggles, as he never attained high office, possibly due to factional conflicts and his association with political opponents of the powerful eunuch class. His poetry, filled with subtle references to history, philosophy, and folklore, is regarded as some of the most enigmatic and refined of the Tang period. Today, Li Shangyin remains one of China's most celebrated classical poets, with many of his works translated into multiple languages.