Inheritance and Change in Li Bai’s “Moshang sang”

Abstract

This essay mainly focuses on the innovative approach taken by Li Bai to write his "Moshang sang." The poem receives scarce attention from critics throughout history, and among those who did comment about this poem, they either dismissed it merely as a trite imitation of Han yuefu "Moshang sang" or failed to notice its distinctiveness from other imitative poems. I shall argue that instead of simply imitating the Han yuefu "Moshang sang," Li Bai continues the legacy of Luofu's story by writing a sequel to it.