PoŽarevac, Treaty of: see Passarowitz, Treaty of.

Po Hai: see Bohai, China.

Po Chü-i, 772-846, Chinese poet. He occupied several important government posts, rising to the presidency of the imperial board of war in 841. He wrote over 3,000 poems, brief, topical verses expressed in very simple, clear language. Perhaps his most noted poem is the Song of Everlasting Regret (806), which recounts the sufferings of Emperor Ming Huang on the murder of his concubine by rebels. The poem figures prominently in The Tale of Genji, the 10th-century Japanese novel by Murasaki Shikibu; Po's work gained wide popularity throughout East Asia. He continued to write despite partial paralysis and enjoyed great fame during his lifetime.

Po, Latin Padus, longest river of Italy, c.405 mi (650 km) long, rising in the Cottian Alps of Piedmont, NW Italy. It winds generally east in a wide valley, past Turin, Pavia, Piacenza, Cremona, and Ferrara, to enter the Adriatic Sea through several mouths. Its marshy delta is constantly expanding eastward. The Dora Baltea, Tanaro, Ticino, Adda, and Oglio rivers are its chief tributaries; hydroelectricity is produced there. The Po River is navigable for small craft c.300 mi (480 km) upstream, but seasonal variations in flow hamper navigation. It is extensively used for irrigation. The Po valley is densely populated and is the most important industrial and agricultural region of Italy. Grains, sugar beets, livestock, and fruits are raised. Turin, Asti, Milan, Brescia, and Verona are the chief cities of the Po valley.

Po, symbol for the element polonium.

Lo-pu po: see Lop Nur, China.

Li Po, Li Pai, or Li T'ai-po, c.700-762, Chinese poet of the T'ang dynasty. He was born in what is now Sichuan prov. Most authorities believe that he was a Taoist; Li Po's unconcern for worldly preferment and his love for retirement was expressive of both Taoism and the delicate romanticism found in his poetry. An early period of patronage by the court was followed by banishment in 744. He spent the next decade traveling through E and SE China. After the An Lu-shan rebellion (755-57) he was exiled because of associations with a rebellious member of the imperial family. He soon received amnesty and spent his remaining years traveling along the Chang (Yangtze). Legend maintains he drowned while drunkenly embracing the moon's reflection; however, scholars believe he died from cirrhosis of the liver or from mercury poisoning due to Taoist longevity elixirs. About 1,100 of his poems are extant. Although they include many conventional verses expressing thoughts on actual events, Li Po is best known for his pieces describing voyages through imaginary landscapes, invoking exotic Taoist images and powerful emotions of fear or exhilaration. He uses strange diction and rhyme, as well as hyperbole and playfulness, typically feigning a wish to forget rather than confront reality. He preferred older poetic forms such as songs or ballads and long, tonally unregulated "old-style" verse, introducing to them various personae, including his own cultivated persona of a wild, self-obsessed poet.

Fernando Po or Fernando Póo: see Equatorial Guinea.

ancient Padus.

River, northern Italy. The country's longest river, it is about 405 mi (652 km) long. It rises in the Cottian Alps on the western frontier and flows northeast to Turin, then east across Piedmont and Lombardy into the Adriatic Sea. Its delta is one of the most complex of any European river, with at least 14 mouths. It is navigable from its mouth to Pavia. Industrial cities in its valley include Milan, Padua, and Verona. It has suffered devastating autumn floods, including those in 589, 1438, 1951, and 1966.

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or Po Hai conventional Gulf of Chihli

Arm of the Yellow Sea off the northern China coast. With the Gulf of Liaodong (generally considered part of the Bo Hai), its maximum dimensions are 300 mi (480 km) northeast-southwest and 190 mi (306 km) east-west. The Liao River and Huang He (Yellow River) empty into it.

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or Li Bo or Li Pai or Li Po or Taibai

(born 701, Jiangyou, Sichuan province, China—died 762, Dangtu, Anhui province) Chinese poet. A student of Daoism, he spent long periods wandering and served as an unofficial court poet. His lyrics are celebrated for their exquisite imagery, rich language, allusions, and cadence. A romantic, he was a famous wine drinker and wrote of the joys of drinking, as well as about friendship, solitude, nature, and the passage of time. Popular legend says that he drowned when, sitting drunk in a boat, he tried to seize the moon's reflection in the water. He rivals Du Fu for the h1 of China's greatest poet.

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formerly Fernando Pó

Island (pop., 2001: 260,462), Bight of Biafra, West Africa. It lies 100 mi (160 km) northwest of continental Equatorial Guinea, of which it is a part. Bioko became the official name in 1979. Volcanic in origin, with an area of 779 sq mi (2,018 sq km), it rises sharply from the sea; its highest point is Santa Isabel Peak, at 9,869 ft (3,008 m). Malabo, the country's capital, is located on Bioko. The island was visited by the Portuguese explorer Fernão Pó, probably in 1472. Though the island was claimed by Spain after 1778, the first attempt at firm Spanish control came only in 1858. The original inhabitants, the Bubi, are descendants of Bantu-speaking migrants from the mainland. Many Fang have flocked to the island from the continent.

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