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Hello, two of China's greatest poets date from the 8th century in the Tang era,

and they're Li Bae and Lu Fu.

Li Bae is known for personal poems, many of them about drinking wine

and finding their enjoyment in life.

Du Fu, a few years younger, is more of an everyman,

writing in the upheaval of the Anshan rebellion.

They have formed two intertwining strands of Chinese culture

for over a millennium, the public life and the individual,

and the sign of that enduring appeal is that there's no agreement

on which of them is the greater.

When we discuss Li Bae, Du Fu, and Tang in Repertory are

Tim Barrett, Professor Emeritus of East Asian History at

Sirs University of London.

Chan Huantan, Shaw Professor of Chinese at the University of Oxford,

and Professor O'Rail fellow at University of College

and Francis Ward, former curator of the Chinese collection

at the British Library. Francis, Francis Ward, what do we need to know about the Tang

...