Yang Lian
Encyclopedia
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.
His education was interrupted by the outbreak of the Cultural Revolution
after 1966. In 1974 he was sent to Changping county near Beijing to undergo 're-education through labor', where he undertook a variety of tasks including digging graves
. In 1977, after the Cultural Revolution
had ended and Mao Zedong
had died, Yang returned to Beijing
where he worked with the state broadcasting service.
. In 1979, he became involved with the group of poets writing for 'Today' (Jintian) magazine, and his style of poetry developed into the modernist
, experimental style common within that group.
The 'Today' group attracted considerable controversy during the early 1980s, and the initially derogatory term of 'Misty Poets
' was applied to them at this time. In 1983, Yang's poem 'Norlang' (the name of a waterfall in Tibet
) was criticised as part of the Anti-Spiritual Pollution Campaign
, and a warrant was put out for his arrest. He managed to escape after a tip-off from friends; the campaign ended shortly afterwards.
and New Zealand
. Yang Lian was in Auckland, New Zealand at the time of the Tiananmen incident
, and was involved with protests against the actions of the Chinese government. His work was blacklist
ed in China shortly after June 4, 1989, and two books of his poetry awaiting publication there were pulped. A short time later, Yang's Chinese citizenship was revoked. He requested a new passport so that he could travel abroad, but Chinese authorities refused to issue one for him, and he was granted refugee
status in New Zealand
.
Since that time, Yang Lian has held writers' fellowships in Australia
and Germany
, and has travelled broadly. Although he has retained New Zealand
citizenship, he has lived in London
since 1993.
Along with fellow Misty Poet, Bei Dao
, he has reportedly been nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature. He received the Flaiano International Prize for Poetry in 1999.
Since 2005 he is Professor at European Graduate School
in Saas-Fee
, Switzerland
and Artistic Director of the Unique Mother Tongue series of international poetry-arts events held periodically in London.
"Riding Pisces: poems from five collections" Translated by Brian Holton, Exeter:Shearsman (2008)
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
poet
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...
associated with the Misty Poets
Misty Poets
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...
and also with the Searching for Roots school. He was born in Bern, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in 1955 and raised in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, where he attended primary school.
His education was interrupted by the outbreak 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...
after 1966. In 1974 he was sent to Changping county near Beijing to undergo 're-education through labor', where he undertook a variety of tasks including digging graves
Grave (burial)
A grave is a location where a dead body is buried. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as graveyards or cemeteries....
. In 1977, after 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...
had ended and Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
had died, Yang returned to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
where he worked with the state broadcasting service.
Early career
Yang began writing traditional Chinese poetry while working in the countryside, despite this genre of poetry being officially proscribed under the rule of Mao ZedongMao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
. In 1979, he became involved with the group of poets writing for 'Today' (Jintian) magazine, and his style of poetry developed into the modernist
Modernist literature
Modernist literature is sub-genre of Modernism, a predominantly European movement beginning in the early 20th century that was characterized by a self-conscious break with traditional aesthetic forms...
, experimental style common within that group.
The 'Today' group attracted considerable controversy during the early 1980s, and the initially derogatory term of 'Misty Poets
Misty Poets
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...
' was applied to them at this time. In 1983, Yang's poem 'Norlang' (the name of a waterfall in Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
) was criticised as part of the Anti-Spiritual Pollution Campaign
Anti-Spiritual Pollution Campaign
The Anti-Spiritual Pollution Campaign was a Chinese political campaign spanning from October 1983 to December 1983, started by political factions in the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party that feared the spreading of Western liberal ideas among the Chinese populace, a product of the then...
, and a warrant was put out for his arrest. He managed to escape after a tip-off from friends; the campaign ended shortly afterwards.
Post-1989
Yang began to travel overseas after 1986, including visits to AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Yang Lian was in Auckland, New Zealand at the time of the Tiananmen incident
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...
, and was involved with protests against the actions of the Chinese government. His work was blacklist
Blacklist
A blacklist is a list or register of entities who, for one reason or another, are being denied a particular privilege, service, mobility, access or recognition. As a verb, to blacklist can mean to deny someone work in a particular field, or to ostracize a person from a certain social circle...
ed in China shortly after June 4, 1989, and two books of his poetry awaiting publication there were pulped. A short time later, Yang's Chinese citizenship was revoked. He requested a new passport so that he could travel abroad, but Chinese authorities refused to issue one for him, and he was granted refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
status in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Since that time, Yang Lian has held writers' fellowships in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and has travelled broadly. Although he has retained New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
citizenship, he has lived in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
since 1993.
Along with fellow Misty Poet, 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...
, he has reportedly been nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature. He received the Flaiano International Prize for Poetry in 1999.
Since 2005 he is Professor at European Graduate School
European Graduate School
The European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland is a privately funded graduate school founded by the non-profit European Foundation of Interdisciplinary Studies. Its German name is Europäische Universität für Interdisziplinäre Studien...
in Saas-Fee
Saas-Fee
Saas-Fee is the main village in the Saastal, or the Saas Valley, and is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Artistic Director of the Unique Mother Tongue series of international poetry-arts events held periodically in London.
Works and collections
- Where the Sea Stands Still: New Poems by Yang Lian Translated by Brian Holton, Newcastle: Bloodaxe Books (1999)
- Non-Person Singular: Collected Shorter Poems of Yang Lian. Translated by Brian Holton, London: WellSweep Press (1994)
- Concentric Circles. Translated by Brian Holton and Agnes Hung-Chong Chan, Tarset:Bloodaxe Books, (2005)
- Notes of a Blissful Ghost. Translated by Brian Holton, Hong Kong:Renditions Paperbacks(2002)
- Unreal City (2006)
"Riding Pisces: poems from five collections" Translated by Brian Holton, Exeter:Shearsman (2008)
Further reading
- Chinese Writers on Writing featuring Yang Lian. 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).
External links
- Yang Lian's website (in English and Chinese)
- Yang Lian faculty profile at European Graduate SchoolEuropean Graduate SchoolThe European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland is a privately funded graduate school founded by the non-profit European Foundation of Interdisciplinary Studies. Its German name is Europäische Universität für Interdisziplinäre Studien...
. Biography and bibliography - Yang Lian page
- Some of His Writings
- Biography as a member of the 2006 Lettre Ulysses Award jury
- A PRC embassy webpage describing Yang Lian
- Yang Lian at Culturebase.net