Guo Lusheng, a renowned poet popularly known as Shizhi, has an important place in the Chinese poetic circle, regarded as the founder of the “misty” genre of Chinese poetry. Yu Xiuhua, a new member of this circle, came from a farming background. Yu, who has had cerebral palsy since childhood, has endured untold suffering in her life. Her poems, however, are now well received by Chinese readers, and have been bestsellers in recent times. Though both are remarkable poets, Shizhi and Yu did not have any interaction until recently, when he openly criticized her at a book launch.
In a recent public speech, Shizhi denounced Yu writing that to her, “an ideal life was to drink coffee, read and talk, and do similar leisurely things.” Shizhi scathingly said that Yu…
