Friendly farewell

After an enjoyable excursion around Peach Blossom Pool, Li Bai hears a group of people chanting in unison and stamping their feet while holding their hands over the river hill. Unlike a typical farewell party where people take a sip of drink or exchange poetry lines, Wang Lun sends off Li Bai with a surprise show of crowd-singing. As the sound of singing out loud may please and surprise Li Bai, he expresses the admiration that even thousands of deep running waterways never compete Wang Lun's depth of affection and consideration.

Wang Lun, the top official of the region around Peach Blossom Pool, happens to get along with Li Bai. A letter from Wang Lun arrives at Li Bai before he makes a visit to his precinct. In the letter, Wang Lun invites Li Bai without any prior mutual agreement just because he admires Li Bai as a poet. Calling him a thirsty soul, he asks the artist to visit the region where peach trees decorate the street over four kilometers with millions of liquor joints open here and there. Accepting the invitation willingly, Li Bai comes to meet Wang Lun. When Wang Lun humorously says that the peach trees signify Peach Blossom Pool and the millions of liquor joints actually do not mean too many liquor joints but indicate a bar owned by Mr. Million, Li Bai laughs out loud at Wang Lun's brilliant sense of humor. Afterwards, the two of them spend several days having fun together.

It is a complete rarity in Chinese poetry that a short-length poem mentions both the author's name and the other party’s. The reason why the poet chooses such a shocking technic may be that the poet wants to come across as a friendly and comfortable pal based on a set of unique social skills although he is older by 20 years.