ABSTRACT
Local governors could send up to the capital for the examinations an unlimited number of persons of ‘special capacity,’ in addition to the statutory number of candidates which each district was obliged to send. Nevertheless, Li Po probably believed that immortals actually existed and that given the right master and the right natural gifts it is possible to learn the art of immortality. Li Po’s ‘Song of Cursive Writing,’ also written in praise of Huai-su, is much lighter in tone and much shorter. In describing his calligraphy Li Po uses many of the same images as Huai-su, but adds that of ancient warriors locked in battle. Li Po himself, in a poem addressed to his wife, confesses that his drunkenness made him as good as no husband at all; but he never seems to have faced the fact that it also disqualified him for official service.
