Li Bai did not show fame in his life, but he had high expectations, was not afraid of and despised the powerful. There have been stories of "Lux took off his boots", "Imperial concubine holding inkstone", "Imperial spoon" and "dragon towel wiping saliva". Unscrupulously mocked the hierarchical order centered on political power, criticized the corrupt political phenomenon at that time, and carried forward the heroic spirit in the prosperous Tang culture with a bold rebellious attitude. Li Bai's anti-power thought has matured with the enrichment of his life practice. In the early days, it was mainly manifested in the equal requirements of "self-improvement, not being a man" and "making friends with princes", as he said in his poem: "In the past, Chang 'an was drunk, and five kings and seven princes shared a glass of wine. I am far away, but I am willing to fall behind others ~ "("Liu Yelang gives Xin Review ")" I admire the nine masters and stir up stormy waves. " ("Ode to the Jade Pot") He sometimes makes grandiloquence that shows contempt for powerful people, such as "Golden jade buys songs and laughs, and drunkenness makes the moon light of princes" ("Remembering the past" sends the county yuan to join the army), but it mainly shows his inner pride. With the understanding of the actual situation of high-level power groups, he further revealed the opposition between grassroots and powerful people: "Zhu Yu buys songs and laughs, and dross raises talents." ("Antique" back to the fifteenth) "Wu Tong nest finch, orange. "(article 39 of the ancient style) and the ugly behavior of those who stole power because of flattering the emperor is even more ridiculous, such as:" The cart flies in the dust and the pavilion is dark in the afternoon. China is more expensive than gold, and Lianyun has a room. He Huihe was dubbed cockfighting. When the rainbow is dried in one breath, pedestrians are afraid. In Dream of Climbing Mount Tianmu, he made the loudest voice: Oh, how can I bow and scrape to the dignitaries solemnly, and no one will suffer? An honest face is as important in Li Bai's poems as Du Fu's famous sentence "The wine and meat in Zhumen stink, and the road freezes to death" (500 words from Beijing to Fengxian).
In the deteriorating political situation at the end of Tianbao, Li Bai linked anti-dignitary with extensive social criticism. For example, Answering the King on Twelve Cold Nights: If you don't go to Beihai, Li See, where is your heroic spirit now? If you don't see Pei Shangshu, the earth grave is three feet away from Artemisia. Teenagers have long wanted to go to the Five Lakes. Seeing this, I will spare Zhong Ding. Fight for the just cause of the late sages. ("it is hard to go"): You don't see it. In the past, the prince of Yan worshiped talents and built a platform, and his festival was undoubtedly. Juxin and Le Yi were grateful for their kindness. They tried their best to serve the monarch with their talents. The king's bones have been buried. Who will clean the floor of the golden terrace again? Expressed their disappointment and anger at the court, because the poet was not reused. Li Bai even sharply reprimanded Xuanzong himself in the way of satirizing modern people in his poems, such as "Feeling the Book, Being a Gentleman", "Ancient Style" and "Ascending to the Far Sea". In a word, it can be said that he developed the anti-power theme in Tang poetry to the point of dripping and hearty. Ren Hua said that Li Bai "lived for decades and never lost his color for a day" ("Miscellaneous Words Send Li Bai"). This consciousness of never giving in to powerful people and bravely fighting for self-dignity is an important content of attaching importance to personal value since Wei and Jin Dynasties, and it is also a tradition of attaching importance to strength and character. It is under the new historical conditions that Li Bai inherited and carried forward this excellent tradition and became a star in poetry.