Li Bai was a sword-carrying wanderer, a legendary drinker, and the most celebrated lyric poet in Chinese literature. He claimed descent from the imperial family, was banished for backing a failed rebellion, and allegedly drowned trying to embrace the moon's reflection in a river while drunk. Whether the drowning story is true or legend, it captures the man — a poet so intoxicated by beauty that he reached for what could not be held.

This episode traces Li Bai from his Central Asian origins through the wandering years, the brief imperial court appointment, the exile for rebellion, and the death that became Chinese literature's most romantic legend.

• Li Bai's mysterious Central Asian origins and the aristocratic lineage he claimed but could not prove
• The wandering poet-swordsman lifestyle and the drinking that fueled both hi ...