Former Ode on the Red Cliffs

The "Former Ode on the Red Cliffs" (Chinese: 前赤壁赋; pinyin: qián chìbì fù) is a piece of writing written by the Chinese poet Su Shi in 1082, describing a trip that Su Shi took with his friends on the Yangtze River, which took them past the purported site of the Battle of Red Cliffs.

He sang a song, and one of his friends accompanied him with a xiao, a traditional Chinese flute.

This made him realize the insignificance of human beings in comparison to the river and universe.

Su Shi, however, considered the matter from a relativism aspect that both an individual and nature can be constantly changeable or immortal.

He also pointed out that everything has its own owner, so one should not take what does not belong to him/her, except those eternal treasures of the creator like the moon or wind which everyone can enjoy.

Statue of Su Dongpo near the hill he alluded to being the site of the battle, in present-day Huanggang, Hubei [ 1 ]