Li Yi (李益), 748-829 AD, a native of Wuwei in Gansu Province, was one of the “Ten Scholarly Men of the Dali Dynasty”, and is best known for his works on the border and the Plateau, especially for his seven-character stanzas. His poems had a harmonious rhythm and were sung by musicians at that time.
In the fourth year of Dali’s reign, he was awarded the post of lieutenant of Zheng County, and then became the chief bookkeeper of Huazhou, and was transferred to the royal secretary. Afterwards, he went to the army and served as an advisor to the ministers of Shofang, Dinning, and Youzhou. It was said that he had “received the last rank for three years, and had been in the army for five years”. He travelled to Yangzhou. In the reign of Emperor Xianzong, he was appointed to the post of a minister, and then served as a secretary, a bachelor, a permanent retainer, and a guest of the crown prince. At the beginning of Emperor Wenzong’s reign, he was sentenced to the post of Minister of Rites.
