久久亚洲国产成人影院-久久亚洲国产的中文-久久亚洲国产高清-久久亚洲国产精品-亚洲图片偷拍自拍-亚洲图色视频

  Home>News Center>Life
         
 

The 1980s prince of poetry in poverty now?
(Beijing Weekend)
Updated: 2004-07-15 15:35

In China today, when you mention the word "poet," most people think of something far away, distant from their own lives.

Once dubbed "the prince of poetry," Wang Guozhen has been forced to open a new chapter in his life. [Beijing Weekend]

Nowadays, relatively few people enjoy reading poetry and so there are correspondingly few people engaged on the production side. Supply and demand.

If recent media reports are to be believed, Wang Guozhen, 48, appears to be a classic example of a poet suffering from what might be termed the current slack season. But in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was a different story.

Wang's present-day plight hit the Chinese media with reports that he was living in poverty because he had no means to support himself other than his poetry and calligraphy.

The news came as a surprise to those who could remember Wang's glory days. Indeed it also came as a surprise to Wang...

Wang is one of the few poets of the past 50 years still remembered by a large number of people here, especially among young people who were born in the 1960s and 1970s.

After graduating from Guangzhou-based Jinan University as a literature major, Wang started writing poetry in 1985. His poems were often published in magazines and newspapers.

What was the appeal?

For one thing, all of Wang's poems are very simple to understand and embody profound philosophical truths. They generally embody an optimistic attitude to life and glorify the beauty of love. As a result, Wang's fans were mainly students in colleges and middle schools.

Looking back, Wang said: "Around 1990, China was experiencing ideologically turbulent times. My poems were enjoyed by students thanks to the simple but thoughtful content. Many students choose one of my poems as their motto."

Remarkably, before April 1990, Wang had not even published his collection of poems. Most spread by handwritten copies among students.

"In a class, a teacher would sometimes find her students did not care what she was talking about in front of the blackboard because they were busy writing something," Wang recalled. "The teacher learned my poems were favoured by students and copied by hand across China."

With the help of friends, Wang published his first collection of poetry, Tide of the Youth, in April 1990. In just a few months, the collection had been reprinted five times with 150,000 copies produced. It was one of the top 10 bestsellers in 1990. Indeed 1990 was dubbed the "year of Wang Guozhen" in publishing circles.

The following year, Wang's collections Wind of Youth, and Thoughts of Youth were published.

In just two years, his collections sold in excess of 1 million copies. That inevitably lead to Wang being dubbed the "Prince of Poetry."

Yet two short years later, his name started to fade from the spotlight.

Indeed he only came to prominence again in 2002 when the Chinese media splashed stories about his reported poverty. The downturn in his fortunes, said the media, had forced him to make a living selling his calligraphy.

The hard times first hit in 1996. The income from his poetry could not support his family, according to reports at that time. Wang had opened a hotpot restaurant in Beijing with financial help from his friends, playing on his fame among Chinese people.

Unlike his gift for poetry, however, Wang did not do so well in catering to the appetites of the capital. Before long, the restaurant was shut down.

But the quirky story has taken another bizarre twist with Wang himself stepping forward to set the record straight.

Responding to claims about his poverty, he said: "I think I lived well in past years. Don't believe all that sheer nonsense." Indicating his newly bought apartment, he asked: "Does it look like I am poor and in debt?"

Wang recently moved into the apartment in the south end of downtown Beijing. He says it set him back 600,000 yuan (US$72,290).

He brought a lawsuit against sections of the media which first reported his "poor" life. His aim is to safeguard his reputation.

"They failed in the lawsuit and had to apologize to me," Wang said. "Furthermore, they were asked to pay 20,000 (US$2,409) for the damage to my fame and intellectual suffering."

Though Wang won the case in the court, it could not disguise the fact his star had dimmed. He tried to make a comeback in 2001 by promoting his new Wang Guozhen's Collection of Poems and Prose. Few people bought the collection.

Indeed Wang now seems to accept that people now do not enjoy modern poems as they once did. Since 1995, he began another artistic career: calligraphy.

Wang is often asked to contribute calligraphy for a brand name, hotel or scenic spots. It earns him an income.

"People lost interest in poems because of the flourishing of various arts," he lamented.

But he also insists that modern Chinese poets should also bear some responsibility for the current downturn.

"It is very difficult to understand the meaning of many poems," Wang said. "Today's poets seem to agree that the more obscure and unintelligible, the better their poems are. They even think that only those poems which can be understood by people after 100 years, are the real poems indicating great poets."



Karen Mok represents cosmetic products
Eyes on me: Faye Wong
Rome's Fashion Week
  Today's Top News     Top Life News
 

Premier: Economy generally good, but has pitfalls

 

   
 

Warning sounded on possible floods

 

   
 

Most polluted cities in China blacklisted

 

   
 

Home-made explosive kills 16 in Shanxi

 

   
 

Police crack decade-old murder case in Xi'an

 

   
 

US$29b deals signed on 1st day of PPRD fair

 

   
  The 1980s prince of poetry in poverty now?
   
  Debate erupts over Xiushui demolition
   
  Toshiba to unveil TV-capable laptop
   
  Young artists add their own inspiration to tradition
   
  Pitt, Zeta-Jones get Mafia shadow
   
  Bears sip cola to stay cool
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  Feature  
  Shanghai tycoon seeks a virgin bride
 
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 男人女人做刺激视频免费 | 日本三区视频 | 午夜精品尤物福利视频在线 | 欧美激情久久久久久久久 | 中文字幕日韩欧美一区二区三区 | 在线精品国产成人综合第一页 | 美国毛片aa | 久久中文字幕久久久久 | 经典三级在线视频 | 亚洲午夜精品 | 国产高清一级视频在线观看 | 成人在线观看一区 | 东京一区二区三区高清视频 | 欧美一区二区三区不卡免费 | 久久99亚洲精品久久久久网站 | 日韩精品亚洲一级在线观看 | jyzzjyzzjyzz日本在线观看 | 久久精品一区二区影院 | 欧美国产综合视频 | 99久久综合给久久精品 | 欧美a级在线观看 | 中文字幕巨乱亚洲 | va欧美| 日韩性网站 | 日韩亚洲欧美一区噜噜噜 | 国产精品久久不卡日韩美女 | 免费一级视频在线播放 | 韩国一级片在线观看 | 成人精品国产亚洲欧洲 | 国产精品亚洲专区在线播放 | 日本一线a视频免费观看 | 亚洲国产网址 | 在线视频一区二区三区 | 国产免费一级精品视频 | 成人免费看毛片 | 久久久久久久久久久视频国内精品视频 | 99精品这里只有精品高清视频 | 成人免费真人毛片视频 | 日韩欧美亚洲综合久久99e | 九九九精品视频 | 亚洲欧美一二三区 |