The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Li Ching-chao
(l´ chng´´-chou´) (KEY) , 1084?c.1151, Chinese poet. Lis 78 extant song lyrics [tzu] have earned her a reputation as a master of lyrical poetry. She achieves a simple, natural voice while observing complex metrical demands. Her writing expresses melancholy concern over the passage of time and the transformation of present beauty into faint relic. Her Discourse on Lyric [Tzu-lun] is among the earliest theoretical writings on the genre.