Li Ao

Li Ao (772–841), courtesy name Xizhi, was a Chinese philosopher and prose writer of the Tang dynasty. Born in present-day Tianshui, Gansu, though some accounts place his origin in Zhao, Hebei, Li achieved the degree of Jinshi in 798. He subsequently joined the imperial bureaucracy and was appointed to the history department in Changan. In 809, Li undertook a significant journey to the southern provinces, traveling with his pregnant wife from Luoyang to Guangzhou over a period of nine months. His detailed account of this journey, the 'Lainan Lu' (Record of Coming to the South), is noted for its descriptions of medieval southern China and is considered an early form of the diary. At the time of his death in Xiangyang, Hubei, Li held the position of Governor of East Shannan Circuit, encompassing parts of modern-day Hubei and Henan. There is some historical debate regarding the exact year of his death, with the 'Old Book of Tang' citing 841 and some Qing dynasty historians arguing for 836. Later scholars recognized Li as a founder of one of the ten major philosophical schools of the Tang and Song dynasties. His philosophical thought was notably influenced by Buddhist thinkers such as Liang Su and the prominent neo-Confucian scholar Han Yu. His collected works are preserved in the 'Liwengong Wenji', believed to be a later compilation of the ten chapters of the 'Li Ao Ji' mentioned in the 'New Book of Tang'. A few of his poems are also included in the 'Quan Tang Shi'. Li's maternal grandsons, Lu Xie and Zheng Tian, both rose to prominence as chancellors under Emperor Xizong of Tang.