A Story from Ancient Times: Li Bai and His Attendant in Yangzhou (Parts 1 and 2)

(Minghui.org) Li Bai, one of the most famous poets in Chinese history, visited Yangzhou when he was 26. Because he was so generous, he gave out 300,000 copper coins (the currency at the time). He was later injured and became poverty-stricken and had no place to stay. With the help of his attendant Dansha, Li was able to stay in Daming Temple. One night, he had an interesting dream. When he woke up, he realized he missed his hometown and wrote a famous poem about it. 

Below are the details. 

Part I. Injury and Poverty

Yangzhou, where Li Bai gave out 300,000 copper coins and then lived in poverty, is a terrible place. Yanghou is also a great place, because that is where he wrote Jing Ye Si (Thoughts on a Quiet Night), one of the best-known poems in China. 

It was 726 AD and Li Bai was 26. After burying his friend Wu Zhinan by the side of Dongting Lake, he traveled south to Miluo River where he mourned Qu Yuan, an ancient scholar well known for his integrity. Besides visiting Yuelu Mountain and historical Lingling City, he also traveled eastward to Jinling (today’s Nanjing) and the heritage site of Qinhuai River as well as Jiming Temple. In the end, he arrived at the scenic Yangzhou. 

With passion and prepared manuscripts, Li took his poems to visit several officials and celebrities. In particular, he placed “Ode to Dapeng” (a legendary giant bird), the work he was proudest of, at the most obvious place. But things did not go as well as he had expected. Again and again, his visits led to nothing, because people were more interested in celebrating the emperor’s visit to Mount Tai. 

The cold shoulder was embarrassing, but it did not make Li depressed. Instead, he found the air of sadness went well with the old city of Yangzhou as he walked along the willow alleys and streets edged in flowers. The slowly flowing water under the ancient bridges as well as boating in Slender West Lake brought relaxation; the singing and dancing also inspired him. In his spare time, he watched the cockfights and went hunting on horseback or played Cuju (an ancient ball game). 

On the green lawn one breezy spring day, Li and others were playing an enthusiastic game of Cuju. Dressed in a loose robe with a round neck and narrow sleeves, he was wearing soft, comfortable cloth shoes. He wore a flowing scarf with an elegant ribbon on his head. He was a skilled player, sometimes dashing forward like a tiger and sometimes moving agilely like a crane. Suddenly Li kicked the ball into the sky and everyone applauded. Then he accidentally stepped into a pothole, lost his balance, and fell down with a thud. As Li struggled to stand up, he realized he could only put weight on his right leg, his left leg dragging behind. He tried to walk a few steps and fell down again. When his teammates came over to help him, they saw that Li’s left leg had swollen like a tree trunk and almost split the leg of his trousers. Li could only frown and bear the pain while he was carried back to the hotel. 

Li thought he would return to the ball field in a few days. Although his attendant Dansha and some friends took good care of him, three months of summer passed and Li could still barely walk. In fact, he was slower than someone in his 80s. There is a saying that it takes one hundred days to recover from broken muscles or bones, and that was true for him.

Li was nervous also because he had little money left. The owner of the hotel often came by and stared at him coldly, so it was time to move out and find another place to stay. 

Part 2. Daming Temple

His attendant Dansha remembered that Li was good friends with Jianzhen, a monk in Daming Temple. Maybe this monk with curved eyebrows and narrow smiling eyes could help?

The next morning, Dansha went to Daming Temple and saw a young monk feeding several geese next to the Xiling Pagoda. After talking with Dansha, the young monk led him to the back of the temple and pointed to a monk who was watering plants. Jianzhen was about 30 or 40 years old, and he was watering the vegetables and flowers. 

Without saying a word, Dansha picked up a bucket and started to water the plants next to Jianzhen. Jianzhen squinted and recognized Dansha, so they began to chat as they worked. 

“Master, this temple looks great, with incense money piled up like a small hill. Why are you still growing your own vegetables and flowers?” Dansha asked. 

Jianzhen rolled up his sleeves and smiled in reply, “Every penny our benefactors give us is hard-earned, so we have to be considerate of them. Earning money is like carrying soil with a needle and spending money is like pouring water.”

Dansha nodded and said, “I could not agree more. Suppose I have 300 strings of coins in this bucket. It seems like a lot and is indeed enough to pay for over 60,000 dou (one dou is about 10 liters) of rice. But if one just handed them out thoughtlessly, they would be gone soon.”

Holding a ladleful of water, Dansha looked at an orchid as if it were a person and growled, “For example, a young man in Yangzhou was in trouble and his wife was having a baby, so he asked my young master, Li Bai, for money,” Dansha poured the water on the orchid and continued, “My young master just gave him 30 strings of coins and did not even think about it.”

Dansha got another ladleful of water, looked at the autumn chrysanthemums, and said bitterly, “The father of another young man in Yangzhou is nearly 100 years old and can barely walk. He asked my young master for help.” As Dansha poured water on the chrysanthemums, he said. “So my young master gave him 30 strings of coins, as simple as that.”

After watering a night-blooming cereus and a red spider lily, Dansha sighed and said, “One young man in Yangzhou was sick and lay in bed in pain. My young master gave him 30 strings of coins. When another young man’s father died, he held the letter notifying him and shed two tears, and my young master gave him 50 strings of coins.”

Jianzhan smiled and said, “Li Bai is indeed a generous person who cherishes friendship.”

“Yes, indeed!” agreed Dansha. “Living in this world, everyone has difficult times. Someone’s hometown was flooded, someone broke his leg falling off a horse, someone lost his government job, and someone got in trouble for killing a bully. All of them knew where to find my young master. They came with their heads bowed and sad expressions on their faces, and my young master just kept handing out the money.” Dansha continued to water the cabbages, shepherd’s purse, mushrooms, and spinach. 

“Li Bai’s father is a merchant. No wonder he is so generous!” Jianzhen observed. 

“Of course! Here is a joke, very funny. One time, a young master next door screamed. My young master did not say anything and told me to take 30 strings of coins to the master next door. Do you know why that person screamed?” Dansha leaned forward, laughing so hard that his eyes were slits, and said, “That young master had just made a lot of money gambling. When his relatives and friends heard about it, they all came to borrow money, so he had to go hide in the hotel. When I gave him the money, he handed it back and said, ‘It is hard when you have no money, but it is harder when you have money.’”

Jianzhen couldn’t help but laugh and said, “I only knew Li Bai wrote good poems; I did not know he was so kind—like a Bodhisattva,” Jianzhen stopped laughing and said, “Perhaps your young master would, like you said he does, ‘pour some water’ on me?”

Picking up the bucket, Dansha poured the remaining water on the vegetables. He then turned the bucket upside and showed it to Jianzhen, “Although there was a lot water to start with, it does run out. Right now, we would be thankful if the hotel owner does not kick my young master out.”

Just then, several geese came over and began pecking for worms in the soil. 

Dansha’s eyes lit up and he said, “Master, these geese remind me of something interesting. You are very knowledgeable and probably know it. These geese are white with pink feet, delicate like girls. But when they are angry, they dare to peck people and even a tiger. You know a tiger is the king of beasts, but it does not know what to do when it comes to geese. When my young master buried Wu Zhinan by Dongting Lake last year, a tiger came out of the woods—I was frightened, too. All of a sudden, the two geese I’d raised flew out of water to the shore. One of them pecked the tiger with its beak and the other one attacked it with its wings. They flew around the tiger, leaving the beast disoriented. In the end, the tiger fled.”

“Yes, when Li Bai buried his good friend Wu Zhinan, he cried until his eyes bled and did not move even when a tiger came,” Jianzhen said while twisting his rosary beads. “I have heard about this and really admire him.”

Dansha said, “My young master often says, ‘If one does not know poetry, half of his life is gone; if one does not cherish friendship, the other half of his life is gone.’ But in my understanding, if one does not understand geese, he will probably lose his life completely.” 

Jianzhen laughed and said, “That makes sense. It is true your young master may know this about geese. But I have something for you to remember: One would rather act righteously and live frugally than do bad deeds and live with plenty. I know why you are here—you don’t need to talk in riddles. If your young master does not mind, he can stay in Daming Temple starting from tomorrow.”

(To be continued)