7 Li Bai (701-762)

Li Bai was an acclaimed Chinese poet in the Tang dynasty (618-907). He was such a prominent figure in the Chinese poetry landscape that his fame continues to the present, not only as a poet but also as a romantic literary figure.

He led a wandering lifestyle and was a great traveler; of the over 1,000 poems he left, nearly half are related to travel. His travel experience is vividly reflected in his nature poems, which also include his passion and sentiments during various visits. He sometimes expresses his political ambitions through descriptions of the natural landscape.

Li Bai was even hailed as one of the early travel writers in China and his contributions are of great value to China's tourism culture.