Misty Poets
Encyclopedia
The Misty Poets are a group of 20th century Chinese poets
who reacted against the restrictions of the Cultural Revolution
.
They are so named because their work has been officially denounced as "obscure", "misty", or "hazy" poetry (menglong shi). The movement was initially centered on the magazine Jintian , which was published from 1978 until 1980, when it was banned.
Guo Lusheng
is among the earliest poets of the zhiqing generation poets and was an inspiration for several of the original Misty Poets. Four important misty poets, Bei Dao
, Gu Cheng
, Duo Duo
, and Yang Lian
, were exiled after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
. Other Misty Poets like Mang Ke
and Shu Ting
remain in China. Jintian was resurrected in Sweden
in 1990 as a forum for expatriate Chinese writers.
The work of the Misty Poets has had a strong influence on the lyrics of China's first generation of rock
musicians, particularly Cui Jian
.
Chinese poetry
Chinese poetry is poetry written, spoken, or chanted in the Chinese language, which includes various versions of Chinese language, including Classical Chinese, Standard Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Yue Chinese, as well as many other historical and vernacular varieties of the Chinese language...
who reacted against the restrictions of the Cultural Revolution
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...
.
They are so named because their work has been officially denounced as "obscure", "misty", or "hazy" poetry (menglong shi). The movement was initially centered on the magazine Jintian , which was published from 1978 until 1980, when it was banned.
Guo Lusheng
Guo Lusheng
Guo Lusheng , pen name Shi Zhi, index finger, was an influential Chinese poet of the 1960s, considered the "founder of the New Poetry movement"....
is among the earliest poets of the zhiqing generation poets and was an inspiration for several of the original Misty Poets. Four important misty poets, Bei Dao
Bei Dao
Bei Dao is the pseudonym of Chinese poet Zhao Zhenkai . He was born in Beijing, his pseudonym was chosen because he came from the north and because of his preference for solitude...
, Gu Cheng
Gu Cheng
Gu Cheng was a famous Chinese modern poet, essayist, and novelist. He was a prominent member of the "Misty Poets", a group of Chinese modernist poets.-Biography:...
, Duo Duo
Duo duo
Duo Duo or Duoduo is the pen name of contemporary Chinese poet, Li Shizheng , a prominent exponent of the "Misty" or "Obscure" school of modern Chinese poetry .-Biography:...
, and Yang Lian
Yang Lian
Yang Lian is a Chinese poet associated with the Misty Poets and also with the Searching for Roots school. He was born in Bern, Switzerland in 1955 and raised in Beijing, where he attended primary school....
, were exiled after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
. Other Misty Poets like Mang Ke
Mang Ke
Mang Ke , born in 1951, is a prominent Chinese poet and co-founder of the underground literary journal Today, which appeared irregularly between 1978 and 1980 before being shut down by the Chinese Government....
and Shu Ting
Shu Ting
Shu Ting is the pseudonyms of Gong Peiyu , a Chinese poet.-Life:...
remain in China. Jintian was resurrected in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 1990 as a forum for expatriate Chinese writers.
The work of the Misty Poets has had a strong influence on the lyrics of China's first generation of rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
musicians, particularly Cui Jian
Cui Jian
Cui Jian is a Beijing-based Chinese singer-songwriter, trumpeter and guitarist. Affectionately called "Old Cui" , he is considered to be a pioneer in Chinese rock music and one of the first Chinese artists to write rock songs...
.
List of Misty Poets
- Bei DaoBei DaoBei Dao is the pseudonym of Chinese poet Zhao Zhenkai . He was born in Beijing, his pseudonym was chosen because he came from the north and because of his preference for solitude...
- Mang KeMang KeMang Ke , born in 1951, is a prominent Chinese poet and co-founder of the underground literary journal Today, which appeared irregularly between 1978 and 1980 before being shut down by the Chinese Government....
- Chou Ping
- Xi Chuan
- Zhang ZhenZhang ZhenZhang Zhen may refer to:*Zhang Zhen , Chinese general of the People's Liberation Army*Chang Chen, Taiwanese actor*Zhang Zhen Hong, Malaysian Chinese singer*Zhang Zhen , Chinese Paralympics gold medallist...
- Tang Yaping
- Fei Ye
- Bei LingBei LingBei Ling is a Chinese poet, and journal editor.He came to the United States on an exchange, he was a fellow at Brown University....
- Ha JinHa JinJīn Xuěfēi is a contemporary Chinese-American writer and novelist using the pen name Ha Jin . Ha comes from his favorite city, Harbin.-Early life:...
- Gu ChengGu ChengGu Cheng was a famous Chinese modern poet, essayist, and novelist. He was a prominent member of the "Misty Poets", a group of Chinese modernist poets.-Biography:...
- Shu TingShu TingShu Ting is the pseudonyms of Gong Peiyu , a Chinese poet.-Life:...
- Duo DuoDuo duoDuo Duo or Duoduo is the pen name of contemporary Chinese poet, Li Shizheng , a prominent exponent of the "Misty" or "Obscure" school of modern Chinese poetry .-Biography:...
- Jiang He
- Yang LianYang LianYang Lian is a Chinese poet associated with the Misty Poets and also with the Searching for Roots school. He was born in Bern, Switzerland in 1955 and raised in Beijing, where he attended primary school....