⬅️ 唐诗 Tang Poems
Wang Changling (698-757 AD) was a major poet of Tang Dynasty, one of the "Four Frontier Poets". He traveled to the northwestern frontier of China in 724 AD at the age of 27. Many of his "frontier poems" were written during this period of time. He was best known for his seven-character quatrains which won his various nick names, including "the master of poetry (诗夫子)" and "the son of heaven of poetry (诗天子)". Almost 14% of seven-character quatrains in the first 150 years of Tang Dynasty was his works. Of Wang Changling's poems, 181 of them survived.
Wang Changling held several imperial positions after he passed the prestigious imperial examination. In 755 AD, An-Shi Rebellion broke out. Sometime between 756 and 757 AD, when Wang Changling passed by Bozhou (亳州), he was executed by Lvqiu xiao (闾丘晓), the governor of Bozhou. Later that year, when governor Lvqiu xiao failed to follow an order and was sentenced to death by the prime minister Zhang Hao (张镐), he asked for mercy because he had "family to take care of". Zhang Hao replied: "Who is going to take care of Wang Changling's family then?"
Yin Mountain in the poem is located to the north of Hetao plains. Hetao plains are fertile grassland suitable for agricultural and pastoral activities. In ancient China, Hetao plains were often used by nomads in the north as a staging area for their invasion to the south. Therefore Yin Mountain as a natural barrier always had strategic significance to ancient dynasties in China.
