别有天地 — “An entirely different and captivating realm or world”

Li Bai, styled Taibai, and self-proclaimed Green Lotus Layman, was one of China's greatest poets during the Tang Dynasty. His ancestral home was Chengji, Longxi (near present-day Tianshui, Gansu). His ancestors were exiled to the Western Regions due to an offense, and he was born in Suyab (now within the CIS). He grew up in Qinglian Village, Mianzhou (present-day Mianyang, Sichuan). In his youth, Li Bai loved swordsmanship, was generous and chivalrous, and skilled in poetry.

At the age of 25, he carried his precious sword, bid farewell to his family, left his hometown, and embarked on a distant journey. For several years, he traveled through many places in what are now Hunan, Hubei, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang. He was extraordinarily talented and had great aspirations, eager to participate in political affairs. However, in the dark officialdom, his open and upright character and unyielding integrity were unwelcome, so he achieved nothing for over a decade.

At the age of 41, Li Bai was summoned by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, and his talent caused a sensation in the capital. But Emperor Xuanzong at the time was a "peaceful emperor" solely pursuing pleasure, with state affairs controlled by the treacherous prime minister Li Linfu and eunuch Gao Lishi. Emperor Xuanzong only wanted Li Bai to be a court poet who praised his rule. However, Li Bai was arrogant by nature and showed no servility before the emperor and powerful officials. Consequently, he was slandered by Gao Lishi and others and gradually lost Emperor Xuanzong's trust. When Li Bai realized that Emperor Xuanzong had no intention of truly entrusting him with important tasks, and fearing disaster from the slanders of petty men, he voluntarily requested to leave the court. During his three years in Chang'an, he recognized the darkness of reality and the corruption of the rulers, writing many poems with profound ideological content.

After leaving Chang'an, Li Bai began another ten years of wandering. Due to repeated setbacks in his real life, he developed an interest in seeking immortals and Taoist enlightenment, hoping to escape the ugly reality and pursue a beautiful life. "Questions and Answers in the Mountains" (山中问答) is a poem he wrote expressing his pursuit of such a beautiful realm. The poem's meaning is: Someone asked why I dwell among the green mountains. I smiled but did not answer, my heart at ease. Just look at the peach blossoms drifting freely with the flowing water into the distance. Here, there is a distinct realm, different from the dark and defiled human world.