The authentic life: Li Ronghao and Li Bai

The Authentic Life: Li Ronghao And Li Bai

Courtesy of Felix Fuchs

Courtesy of Felix Fuchs

By David A. Tizzard
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In Li Ronghao’s music „Li Bai,“ we’re offered with a satirical portrayal of an artist. The one who believes themselves a misunderstood genius, harboring disdain for the widespread unrefined methods of the plenty. The kind of particular person you meet simply on-line. So whereas the music critiques fashionable pretentiousness and self-delusion, beneath the satire lies a broader reflection on the struggles of latest life, the place societal expectations and private identification typically conflict. That is the wrestle of younger individuals in the present day, in China, in Korea, and lots of different elements of the world. That it may be expressed so splendidly in a pop-rock music is testomony to the continued significance of artwork, regardless of what number of views or industrial success it achieves.

The affect

Li Bai is generally called the „Immortal Poet,“ well-known for his flamboyant character and love of wine. He cultivated a picture of a wandering, free-spirited artist, typically rejecting societal conventions, and mixing moments of intoxicated pleasure with reflections on the impermanence of life. His disdain for court docket politics and his eccentric habits restricted his political success however he cared not, focusing as a substitute on a Taoist lifestyle surrounded by nature, mountains, and, particularly, his favourite consuming associate: the moon. Even his loss of life involves us in a romantic trend: In line with one story, he drowned whereas making an attempt to embrace the moon’s reflection in a river, a becoming finish!

What’s most attention-grabbing to me about Li Bai is that if I converse to a younger Chinese language particular person, they are going to typically be capable to recite a few of his work. Particularly, “Considering on a Quiet Night time” usually rolls off the tongue of most as simply as their VPN-accessed Insta accounts. That individual work goes like this: “The moon is vibrant earlier than my mattress. Making the bottom look white like frost. I elevate my head and take a look at the brilliant moon. I decrease my head and consider my hometown.” One other common one is “Ingesting alone beneath the moon.” That one begins thus: “Amidst the flowers, a jug of wine. Ingesting alone with out my kin. I elevate my cup on the vibrant moon. The moon, me, and my shadow have develop into three individuals. However the moon doesn’t know the enjoyment of consuming, and my shadow simply follows my physique. But the moon and my shadow are actually my companions. A pleasure that may final to springtime!” Past ideology, it is a tradition during which college college students can recite Taoist poetry. After which creates common rock songs with this because the theme.

The music

The artist in Li Ronghao’s music needs to dwell like Li Bai, indulging in consuming and escapism, whereas concurrently wanting down on those that partake in the identical habits. A duality simply seen in fashionable society, the place many attempt to domesticate a picture of sophistication and tradition, their social media tales full of Espresso martinis and over-priced steak dinners, whereas far too typically at odds with the realities of their very own lives. There’s a collective craving to transcend the mundane — even when it means adopting a veneer of pretense.

The primary verse has the artist view his interactions with the world not as real engagement however as analysis for his poetry, a solution to perceive the vulgarities of the plenty from an imagined pedestal of superiority. Whether or not it’s attending occasions that one doesn’t totally perceive or sharing quotes from international motion pictures on-line, the act of showing cultured can overshadow real private development.

The second verse focuses on the “drunk virtuoso poet.” The grand exit from a bar meant as a romantic second of nonchalance backfires when he vomits from overindulgence. But even this act is reframed in his thoughts as creative — the vomit resembling a watercolor portray. This absurd reinterpretation underscores the lengths to which individuals go to take care of a way of superiority, even in moments of failure. From the stress to realize outward success to the need of “saving face,” the polished narrative typically takes priority over the reality.

The final word fantasy

I’ve written earlier than what number of in Asia discuss of previous lives, of “inyeon,” and assembly once more of their subsequent time across the universe. Coming from a Western tradition, I used to be typically fast to brush off such feedback till I noticed how incessantly they’ll seem in espresso store chats or literature and artwork. Whereas individuals most likely don’t actually imagine such concepts, they’ve the phrases and references by way of which to specific them. And so the refrain of Li Ronghao’s observe reveals the artist’s final fantasy: to be reborn as Li Bai!! To expertise life as an incredible poet, resistant to the judgments that bizarre individuals face. To be Taoist. To be celebrated for artwork and a non-conformist life-style moderately than the etiquette and achievement society pushes at us. The relentless pursuit of excellence, tutorial achievements {and professional} milestones. Who will ever write poems about them? Who will keep in mind these concepts in 1,000 years? However to be a poet! To drink and converse ambiguously. To desert all social norms and dwell free from the oppressive chains of the social gaze. What braveness that may take.

What makes the music’s satire a lot enjoyable is its relatability. We’ve all encountered the persona it critiques, or maybe as in my case throughout my Hemmingway and Hunter S. Thompson impressed 30s, embodied. The condescension towards the normie on the bar coupled with the self-aggrandizing fantasies is a reminder of how straightforward it’s to fall into the entice of self-delusion. In fashionable life, the place societal pressures typically demand a fragile stability between individuality and conformity, the stress might be overwhelming. Burnout, isolation and a craving for authenticity pervade the collective consciousness. The pursuit of distinction, whether or not by way of creative endeavors or materials success, can then result in isolation and disconnection from the very neighborhood one seeks to impress. That is the paradox we tussle with day by day.

The revolt of “Mono No Conscious”

Maybe the lesson is to not attempt for perfection or recognition however to embrace the messiness of life with honesty and humility. To query the personas we assemble and the values we prioritize. Li Bai’s poetry reminds us that life’s most profound moments are sometimes present in fleeting magnificence. Within the “mono no conscious” — a mirrored image in a moonlit river, a cup of wine shared with buddies, or a spontaneous burst of creativity.

In a society as fast-paced and densely populated as Korea’s, carving out moments for reflection or expression can really feel like an act of revolt. However this revolt, as Li Bai’s life suggests, is commonly the birthplace of greatness. Simply because the poet drank with the moon as a substitute of pursuing political favor, within the fashionable world we would discover solace in small acts of defiance towards the relentless grind — a late-night stroll alongside the Han River, a sketchbook full of unpolished drawings, or a music sung just for oneself.

Li Bai, for all his genius, was human. He stumbled, he faltered, and he failed. But, it’s exactly this humanity that endears him to us centuries later. In a world that usually calls for perfection, Koreans may take consolation in the concept life’s price lies not in its flawless execution however in its authenticity (and within the actuality of the vomit).

David A. Tizzard has a doctorate in Korean Research and lectures at Seoul Ladies’s College and Hanyang College. He’s a social-cultural commentator and musician who has lived in Korea for practically 20 years. He’s additionally the host of the „Korea Deconstructed“ podcast, which might be discovered on-line. He might be reached at datizzard@swu.ac.kr.

 

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