Li Bai together with Du Fu is considered the greatest of the Tang dynasty poets. They are as important in Chinese literary history as Shakespeare is to people in Britain. Li Bai and Du Fu have a lot in common. Both worked as imperial court officials, both lived in Sichuan, and both traveled. Both are said to have written more than a thousand poems, but people are not sure about how many of the poems ascribed to Li Bai were written by him. They are considered China's best poets, and wrote about everyday topics like romance, war, death, natural beauty they saw. Their poems are so popular partly because Chinese people like to read about ancient places.