Li Jin was an imperial prince and member of the royal family in the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

. He was the eldest son of crown prince

Li Chengqi Li Chengqi () (679 – January 5, 742), known as Wu Chengqi () during the reign of his grandmother Wu Zetian and as Li Xian () after 716, formally Emperor Rang (, literally, "the emperor who yielded"), was an imperial prince of the Tang Dynasty ...

(also known as Li Xian), and grandson of Emperor Ruizong. Li Jin's father,

, yielded his claim to the throne to his younger brother, Li Longji, who eventually became Emperor Xuánzong of Tang. Li Jin was adored by his uncle, the Emperor Xuánzong, who personally taught him to play music. He also gave him a prominent position in the government, and the title Prince of Ruyang. Li Jin "excelled at poetry and calligraphy, carrying himself with scholarly bearing." He was skilled at playing the drum, and was also known for his ability in archery. Li Jin had a number of siblings, among them, Li Yu, and Li Xiang, who is the father of

Li Shizhi Li Shizhi (; died 747), né Li Chang (李昌), formally the Duke of Qinghe (清和公), was a Chinese poet and politician during the Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. He was known as one of the Eight Imm ...

mentioned with Li Jin in Du Fu's infamous poem, "The

Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup The Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup or Eight Immortals Indulged in Wine () were a group of Tang Dynasty scholars who are known for their love of alcoholic beverages. They are not deified and '' xiān'' ("immortal; transcendent; fairy") is metapho ...

Friendship with Du Fu

Li Jin is best known for being "immortalized" by the famous poet, Du Fu. He was listed in the second place in Du Fu's poem ''

'' through the following lines: : 汝阳三斗始朝天， (''He can drink three big barrels before drunk'') : 道逢麴车口流涎， (''He can't resist the temper of drinking when seeing the carts transporting Chinese white wine on his way'') : 恨不移封向酒泉。 (''that he would rather move his mansion to

Jiuquan Jiuquan, formerly known as Suzhou, is a prefecture-level city in the northwesternmost part of Gansu Province in the People's Republic of China. It is more than wide from east to west, occupying , although its built-up area is mostly located in i ...

, the place where wines are produced.'') Du Fu and Li Jin were part of a group of scholar-officials and literati friends, who all enjoyed drinking as well as writing together. Du Fu even dedicated a poem to Li Jin, "Twenty Two Rhymes Given to Li Jin, the Prince of Ru Yang".

References

Tang dynasty imperial princes 750 deaths Year of birth unknown {{China-royal-stub