Tyler C. PIKE

A Tang dynasty beauty plays the Qin (Chinese zither) in a detail of the painting “Tuning Qin, Drinking Tea” attributed to Zhou Fang (AC 780–810).
Li Shangyin lived a precarious existence during a tumultuous age—six emperors ruled during his lifetime. Although Li is best known as a “love poet” who expressed his sorrows and struggles in the context of unrequited or thwarted romance, the label doesn’t account for his artistic