Li Po's Metamorphosis

Could philosophy radically transform an artist's worldview and subsequently their art? This is the case as Li Po's later works prioritize Taoist principles such as removal from the material world. Li Po’s change in thematic emphasis coincides with his banishment from court and formal conversion to Taoism. (Holman and Snyder) Taoists played a unique role in society as they were, “honored by emperors and members of the nobility, they were scorned, as a rule, by literati-officials and treated with a mixture of reverence and familiarity by ordinary people" (Verellen). His friends from the material world no longer mattered in Po’s life as they wouldn’t have in the lives of other Taoists of the era. Po reminisces stating that, “for a while I had these
Inequality also thrives as capital is generally concentrated in wealthy classes generating fewer opportunities for poorer classes. Po’s “metamorphosis” is also indicative of Chinese societal regression into philosophical presidency. Although worldly significance continued to exist within society, philosophy and religion slowly reintegrated themselves as pillars of society. The value of poetry also increased during the era despite of past instances of disrespect toward preserving Chinese culture in the form of literature. As the Tang dynasty arose as the golden age of poetry, poets like Li Po became powerful tools of social and political commentary in addition to advisors for potential reform. Li Po’s message of conscious non action with regards to material needs resonates with those specifically of the lower classes of the social hierarchy. This message essentially deems efforts toward bureaucratic administration or lust after the riches of affluent individuals an unnecessary task as one could find fulfillment in simple tasks like immersion into the natural