1. Du, Fu- – 712-770 – Fiction 2. Poets, Chinese – Tang dynasty, 618-907 – Fiction For Emperor and Country, or Love and Family? Zimei is faced with a bleak future. Despite his great potential and hailing from an illustrious lineage, he serves his Emperor as a lowly Tang Dynasty official, having failed the Imperial Examinations twice. He sets out on a lifelong journey, seeking out first hermits and sages, then peace and home while documenting in verse the sufferings unleashed by civil war, sealing a friendship with the infamous Li Bai that will leave a remarkable legacy to Chinese literature. Zimei's story is the life of Du Fu (712-770), China's first poet-historian and the nation's greatest poet, reimagined in this epic debut novel by multi-award-winning author Boey Kim Cheng.