Wang Changling
Wang Changling, Yu Shaobo, was born in Jingzhao Chang'an (now Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province). He was a famous poet in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. He was born in about the first year of Wu Zetian's holy calendar (698). He died in the fifteenth year of Xuanzong Tianbao (756). Wang Changling was good at seven-character quatrains and was called the Seven-Character Master by later generations. "Out of the Fortress" starts from the description of the scenery, and outlines a desolate scene with the cold moon shining on the border, which reminds people of the disasters caused by war; at the same time, it laments the incompetence of the defenders and pins their hopes on talented generals. It is tragic but not desolate, generous but not superficial, broad in artistic conception, deep in emotion, and has a spirit that spans the past and present. It is indeed a treasure among ancient poems and is known as the masterpiece of the seven unique works of the Tang Dynasty.
Wang Changling was a famous poet in the poetry circle of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. He was so famous at that time that he was called "Wang Jiangning, the Master of Poets". Because the poem was written early, he had many friends with famous poets at that time, such as Li Bai, Meng Haoran, Gao Shi, Cen Shen, Wang Zhihuan, Wang Wei, etc., and their friendship was deep. Among them, his friendship with Meng Haoran is the most touching.
In the 28th year of Emperor Xuanzong's reign (740), Wang Changling traveled to Xiangyang and visited the famous poet Meng Haoran. Meng Haoran suffered from gangrene and was almost recovered at that time. The two were very happy after meeting and hit it off immediately. Meng Haoran happily drank wine to cheer up, but who knew that his old illness relapsed due to drinking too much and he died from it. It was a great pleasure for Wang Changling to meet a first-class poet like Meng Haoran. However, it was a pity that the meeting with Meng Haoran ended forever, leaving endless regrets.