Spring Snow
- Poetry of Liu Fangping

This poem was written during the Dali era (766–779 AD) of Emperor Daizong of the Tang Dynasty. Liu Fangping, a mid-Tang poet who achieved little success in his official career, often dwelled in the Chang’an area. His poetry frequently drew from nature and common people’s lives, capturing larger meanings within small scenes to reflect social realities. During the mid-Tang, political instability, heavy taxes, and vast wealth disparities left many in hardship. Against this backdrop, the poem uses the scene of spring snow to contrast the vastly different experiences of the wealthy and the poor, conveying the poet’s deep compassion for the people and his sharp social critique.