Chinese poets, in response to the massive…

Chinese poets, in response to the massive tenth-century importation of foreign tunes during the periods of the T'ang and the Five Dynasties, create ci, verse of irregular line lengths.

Ci most often express feelings of desire, often in an adopted persona, but the greatest exponents of the form (such as Li Houzhu and Su Shi) used it to address a wide range of topics.

Li Qingzhao, perhaps China's most famous woman poet, is one of the most eminent exponents of “ci.” Born in Licheng to a family of officials and scholars, her father had been a friend of Su Shi.