Hai Zi
Encyclopedia
Hai Zi is the pen name of the Chinese poet Zha Haisheng (Chinese:查海生). He was one of the most famous poets in Mainland China after the Cultural Revolution
. He committed suicide by lying on the path of a train in Shanhaiguan
at the age of 25.
. In 1979, he was enrolled in Peking University
at the age of 15. He began to write poems as a student in early 1980s. After graduation, he worked in China University of Political Science and Law
. He kept sending his own poems written in an extremely dull environment of life to different newspapers and publishers but was hardly accepted. He remained unknown to common readers until his death.
and qigong
in his last years. He ended his life by lying on the path of a train not far from Shanhaiguan
near his 25th birthday. A bag with a Bible
, a book of selected stories by Joseph Conrad
, Walden
by Henry David Thoreau, and Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl
was found beside his body. His death is now regarded as an important event in modern Chinese literature with some suggesting it symbolizes "the sacrifice of the agricultural civilization". It was also later suggested that the cause of his suicide may have had something to do with illusions created by qigong training. Not long after his death, most of his works were published by major publishers of China and were spread rapidly over the country.
in all of his works is probably one of the most important characteristics which turned him into a unique figure of Chinese literature.
Some of his poems have been translated into English. A bilingual book of his poems "Over Autumn Rooftops," translated by Dan Murphy (see review from The Review of Arts, Literature, Philosophy, and the Humanities here: :http://www.ralphmag.org/GE/hai-zi.html), was published in 2010 by Host Publications. Accompanying poetry translations of Ye Chun in Wheat Has Ripened are prose translations of Hai Zi by Fiona Sze-Lorrain, forthcoming from Tupelo Press in 2012.
. And his mystical life and death remains an important topic of the Chinese literature and society. A cult of Hai Zi involved young people from all over China since the 1990s, though he is still not totally accepted by the elder experts.
Hai Zi's poems has strong influence on the popular culture in Mainland China. Some of his poems have been adapted to various songs.
Hai Zi's poem Facing the Sea, with Spring Blossoms is inferred and mentioned several times in the Hong Kong movie McDull, Prince de la Bun
.
Many coastal places of China are regarded as the one described in the poem Facing the Sea, with Spring Blossoms. But according to some research about the life of the poet, the beach of Xichong in Shenzhen
is the most probable place.
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
. He committed suicide by lying on the path of a train in Shanhaiguan
Shanhaiguan District
Shanhaiguan District is a district of the city of Qinhuangdao, Hebei province, People's Republic of China, named after the pass of the Great Wall within the district, Shanhai Pass...
at the age of 25.
Life
Zha Haisheng was born in an agricultural family of a small village in Anhui Province. He spent his childhood in traditional Chinese rural areas when the whole country was involved in the Cultural RevolutionCultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
. In 1979, he was enrolled in Peking University
Peking University
Peking University , colloquially known in Chinese as Beida , is a major research university located in Beijing, China, and a member of the C9 League. It is the first established modern national university of China. It was founded as Imperial University of Peking in 1898 as a replacement of the...
at the age of 15. He began to write poems as a student in early 1980s. After graduation, he worked in China University of Political Science and Law
China University of Political Science and Law
China University of Political Science and Law is a university in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Its law school is considered one of the best in China. In 2009, The Ministry of Education ranked CUPL 2nd among top law schools in China. CUPL has two campuses, one in Haidian, which is the...
. He kept sending his own poems written in an extremely dull environment of life to different newspapers and publishers but was hardly accepted. He remained unknown to common readers until his death.
Death
Hai Zi was fascinated with Tibetan cultureTibetan culture
Tibetan culture developed under the influence of a number of factors. Contact with neighboring countries and cultures- including Nepal, India and China - have influenced the development of Tibetan culture, but the Himalayan region's remoteness and inaccessibility have preserved distinctive local...
and qigong
Qigong
Qigong or chi kung is a practice of aligning breath, movement, and awareness for exercise, healing, and meditation...
in his last years. He ended his life by lying on the path of a train not far from Shanhaiguan
Shanhaiguan District
Shanhaiguan District is a district of the city of Qinhuangdao, Hebei province, People's Republic of China, named after the pass of the Great Wall within the district, Shanhai Pass...
near his 25th birthday. A bag with a Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, a book of selected stories by Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad was a Polish-born English novelist.Conrad is regarded as one of the great novelists in English, although he did not speak the language fluently until he was in his twenties...
, Walden
Walden
Walden is an American book written by noted Transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau...
by Henry David Thoreau, and Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl
Thor Heyerdahl
Thor Heyerdahl was a Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer with a background in zoology and geography. He became notable for his Kon-Tiki expedition, in which he sailed by raft from South America to the Tuamotu Islands...
was found beside his body. His death is now regarded as an important event in modern Chinese literature with some suggesting it symbolizes "the sacrifice of the agricultural civilization". It was also later suggested that the cause of his suicide may have had something to do with illusions created by qigong training. Not long after his death, most of his works were published by major publishers of China and were spread rapidly over the country.
Works
Hai Zi wrote several long poems, "choral operas" and countless short poems in his brief life. His style is generally described as "anachronism". Many of his short poems contain symbolic images like Land, Sea and Wheat field and recalls the ideals of the ancient Chinese pastoral poet Tao Yuanming. Hai Zi was also obviously influenced by Western philosophy and arts, especially Nietzsche and Van Gogh. And the strong sense of mysticismMysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
in all of his works is probably one of the most important characteristics which turned him into a unique figure of Chinese literature.
Some of his poems have been translated into English. A bilingual book of his poems "Over Autumn Rooftops," translated by Dan Murphy (see review from The Review of Arts, Literature, Philosophy, and the Humanities here: :http://www.ralphmag.org/GE/hai-zi.html), was published in 2010 by Host Publications. Accompanying poetry translations of Ye Chun in Wheat Has Ripened are prose translations of Hai Zi by Fiona Sze-Lorrain, forthcoming from Tupelo Press in 2012.
Short Poems
Hai Zi's short poems are his most popular works. Some of them are now classics of 20th century Chinese literature are quoted frequently.- Asian Copper (《亚洲铜》)
- The Sun of Arles (《阿尔的太阳》)
- The Four Sisters (《四姐妹》)
- To the Night (《黑夜的献诗》)
- Facing the Sea, with Spring Blossoms(《面朝大海，春暖花开》)
- Motherland, or Dream as a Horse (《祖国，或以梦为马》)
- Spring, Ten Hai Zis (《春天，十个海子》)
Long Poems and Other Works
- Legend (《传说》)
- The River (《河流》)
- But Water, Water (《但是水、水》)
- Messiah (《弥赛亚》)
- Six Mysterious Stories (《神秘故事六篇》)
Legacy
Hai Zi had become one of the most quoted poets after the New Culture MovementNew Culture Movement
The New Culture Movement of the mid 1910s and 1920s sprang from the disillusionment with traditional Chinese culture following the failure of the Chinese Republic, founded in 1912 to address China’s problems. Scholars like Chen Duxiu, Cai Yuanpei, Li Dazhao, Lu Xun, Zhou Zuoren, and Hu Shi, had...
. And his mystical life and death remains an important topic of the Chinese literature and society. A cult of Hai Zi involved young people from all over China since the 1990s, though he is still not totally accepted by the elder experts.
Hai Zi's poems has strong influence on the popular culture in Mainland China. Some of his poems have been adapted to various songs.
Hai Zi's poem Facing the Sea, with Spring Blossoms is inferred and mentioned several times in the Hong Kong movie McDull, Prince de la Bun
McDull, Prince de la Bun
McDull, Prince de la Bun is a 2004 animated Hong Kong film directed by Yuen Toe. Telling the life a the fictional pig McDull, it is a sequel to My Life as McDull and it was followed by McDull, the Alumni .There was significant word play in this movie, some of it is based on the "pineapple bun"...
.
Many coastal places of China are regarded as the one described in the poem Facing the Sea, with Spring Blossoms. But according to some research about the life of the poet, the beach of Xichong in Shenzhen
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...
is the most probable place.
Further reading
- Chinese Writers on Writing featuring Hai Zi. Ed. Arthur SzeArthur SzeArthur Sze is a second-generation Chinese American poet.-Background:Sze was educated at the University of California, Berkeley, and is the author of eight books of poetry...
. (Trinity University Press, 2010). - Over Autumn Rooftops (A bilingual edition of Hai Zi's poetry published by Host Publications)