Zhu Ziqing (November 22, 1898 – August 12, 1948), born Zhu Zihua, was a renowned Chinese poet and essayist. Zhu studied at
Peking University
Peking University (PKU; ) is a public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education.
Peking University was established as the Imperial University of Peking in 1898 when it received its royal charter ...
, and during the
May Fourth Movement
The May Fourth Movement was a Chinese anti-imperialist, cultural, and political movement which grew out of student protests in Beijing on May 4, 1919. Students gathered in front of Tiananmen (The Gate of Heavenly Peace) to protest the Chinese ...
became one of several pioneers of
modernism
Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...
in China during the 1920s. Zhu was a prolific writer of both
prose
Prose is a form of written or spoken language that follows the natural flow of speech, uses a language's ordinary grammatical structures, or follows the conventions of formal academic writing. It differs from most traditional poetry, where the f ...
and
poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...
, but is best known for essays like "
Retreating Figure" (), and "You. Me." (). His best known work in verse is the long poem "Destruction" or ''
Huimie'' ().
Early life
In 1916, Zhu graduated from Secondary school and entered
Peking University
Peking University (PKU; ) is a public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education.
Peking University was established as the Imperial University of Peking in 1898 when it received its royal charter ...
where he fell in love and married Wu Zhongqian (). A year later, he changed his name from Zihua to Ziqing, the name change was said to be due to his family's dire economic conditions. Zhu graduated in 1920, and went to various secondary schools in
Hangzhou
Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...
,
Yangzhou
Yangzhou, postal romanization Yangchow, is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province (Suzhong), East China. Sitting on the north bank of the Yangtze, it borders the provincial capital Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yan ...
,
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
and
Ningbo
Ningbo (; Ningbonese: ''gnin² poq⁷'' , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises 6 urban districts, 2 sate ...
to teach. During his time as a teacher, he was also active in the poetry circles, and became a well-known poet.
The essay "" (Green) was written by Zhu Ziqing about the beauty of Meiyu Pond () and waterfall in the
Middle Yandang Mountains
Middle Yandang Mountains or Zhong Yandang Shan (Chinese: 中雁荡山, Pinyin: Zhōng Yàndàng Shān, lit. "Middle Wild Goose Pond Mountain(s)") refers, in the broad sense, to a coastal mountain range in southeastern Zhejiang, Zhejiang Province i ...
in
Xianyan Subdistrict,
Ouhai District
Ouhai District () is a district of Wenzhou, Zhejiang. It is an outlying district of Wenzhou urban area ().
It has a population of 386,000 and occupies .
Administrative divisions
Twelve subdistricts:
* Louqiao Subdistrict (), Xinqiao Subdistric ...
,
Wenzhou
Wenzhou (pronounced ; Wenzhounese: Yuziou y33–11 tɕiɤu33–32 ), historically known as Wenchow is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Zhejiang province in the People's Republic of China. Wenzhou is located at the extreme south east o ...
of southeastern Zhejiang province in eastern China after his visits to the area in 1923. A selection from "" (Green) is among the sixty potential reading selections test takers may be asked to read for the
Putonghua Proficiency Test
The Putonghua Proficiency Test or Putonghua Shuiping Ceshi (PSC) is an official test of spoken fluency in Standard Chinese (Mandarin) intended for native speakers of Chinese languages. The test was developed in October 1994 by the Ministry of Educa ...
.
Academia
Later, he was appointed professor of Chinese Literature at
Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University (; abbreviation, abbr. THU) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Minis ...
in 1925, and on August 1928, he published his first essay collection known as "Retreating Figure". The book became a wild hit and he soon established his name as a prolific author and poet. However, Zhu's wife soon died which was a terrible blow to Zhu. From 1931 to 1932 he studied
English Literature
English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...
and
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. He married his second wife Chen Zhuyin and continued to teach at Tsinghua University.
In 1937, when the
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...
broke out, Zhu followed his university to move to
Changsha
Changsha (; ; ; Changshanese pronunciation: (), Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is the capital and the largest city of Hunan Province of China. Changsha is the 17th most populous city in China with a population of over 10 million, an ...
,
Kunming
Kunming (; ), also known as Yunnan-Fu, is the capital and largest city of Yunnan province, China. It is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province as well as the seat of the provincial government. The headquar ...
and
Chengdu
Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...
. During this time, Zhu continued to teach in other universities.
Later years and death
After the Second World War, Zhu encouraged his students in Kunming to oppose
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...
for starting the
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...
. In 1946, he returned to Beijing and was appointed the Head of the Chinese Language Department in
Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University (; abbreviation, abbr. THU) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Minis ...
. When he heard of the assassination of patriotic authors
Li Gongpu
Li, li, or LI may refer to:
Businesses and organizations
* Landscape Institute, a British professional body for landscape architects
* Leadership Institute, a non-profit organization located in Arlington, Virginia, US, that teaches "political tec ...
and
Wen Yiduo
Wen Yiduo (; 24 November 189915 July 1946) was a Chinese poet and scholar known for his nationalistic poetry. Wen was assassinated by the Kuomintang in 1946.
Life
Wen Yiduo was born Wén Jiāhuá () on 24 November 1899 in what is now Xishui ...
, Zhu disregarded his own safety to attend the funeral of both men.
Zhu later died on August 12, 1948 after joining the rebellion of refusing aid from the United States. Though it is a common belief that Zhu died of starvation due to Mao Zedong's famous article "Farewell, Leighton Stuart". However, the real cause of Zhu's death was gastric perforation resulting from his severe stomach ulcers.
References
Portrait
Zhu Ziqing. A Portrait by Kong Kai Mingat Portrait Gallery of Chinese Writers (Hong Kong Baptist University Library).
External links
*
*
*
Bibliography of Secondary Works from the MCLC Resource Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhu, Ziqing
1898 births
1948 deaths
National University of Peking alumni
Tsinghua University faculty
National Southwestern Associated University faculty
Writers from Lianyungang
Republic of China poets
Republic of China essayists
Poets from Jiangsu
20th-century Chinese poets
20th-century essayists