Li Qingzhao
1084 – c. 1155
Li Qingzhao (1084-c. 1155) was a Song dynasty writer widely regarded as the greatest female poet in Chinese history, celebrated especially for her ci lyric poetry. Her life was split by the Jurchen conquest of northern China in 1127, which drove her south and destroyed much of the art and book collection she had assembled with her husband Zhao Mingcheng.
Lived at the same time
Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with Li Qingzhao.
- Anna Komnene (1083–1153) Overlapped 69 years →
- Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153) Overlapped 63 years →
- Peter Abelard (1079–1142) Overlapped 58 years →
- Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179) Overlapped 57 years →
- Suryavarman II (1094–1150) Overlapped 56 years →
- Muhammad al-Idrisi (1100–1165) Overlapped 55 years →
Life events
Li Qingzhao was born into a scholarly family in Jinan; her father Li Gefei was a noted prose writer and associate of Su Shi's circle.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgBefore her marriage, Li Qingzhao was already known in literati circles for her poems and lyrics.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgHer marriage to the student and antiquarian Zhao Mingcheng began a famous literary partnership devoted to collecting books, paintings, and ancient inscriptions.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgLiving in Qingzhou, the couple assembled and catalogued an extensive collection of bronzes, stone inscriptions, and books.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgWhen Jin forces sacked the Song capital in 1127, Li Qingzhao fled to the south, losing most of the couple's collection in the upheaval.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgZhao Mingcheng died of illness en route to a new posting, leaving Li Qingzhao a refugee widow in the Southern Song.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgAccording to Song sources, Li Qingzhao briefly married the official Zhang Ruzhou and, discovering his corruption, denounced him and obtained a divorce within months.
Li Qingzhao finished the celebrated epilogue to her late husband's catalogue Jin shi lu, a moving memoir of their life and losses.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgLi Qingzhao spent her final years in the Southern Song capital region and is believed to have died around 1155.
Source: en.wikipedia.org