[3][4] Born into an impoverished family, Gao eventually became a secretary in the military, enjoying a successful career.

Afterward, Gao Shi traveled around middle and southern China for more than 10 years and moved to Songzhou(宋州).

He witnessed the fight with the Khitan people and created many of his masterpieces like "A Song of the Yan Country".

In the next 10 years, Gao Shi met Li Bai, Du Fu, and many other famous poets.

This optimism was massively influential on the works of Song dynasty poet Li Gonglin, to whom the themes of human agency and potential appealed.