Zhu Ziqing

Zhu Ziqing

Zhu Ziqing (November 22, 1898 - August 12, 1948), originally named Zihua, was named Shiqiu, later renamed Ziqing, with the word Peixian. He was born in Donghai County, Jiangsu Province (now pingming Town, Donghai County, Lianyungang City). He later settled in Yangzhou with his father. Modern Chinese essayist, poet, scholar and democratic fighter.

After graduating from high school in 1916, he was admitted to Peking University. Poetry began to be published in 1919. In 1921, he joined the Literary Research Association and became a representative writer of "for life". In 1922, he and Ye Shengtao founded the first poetry magazine in the history of new literature in China, poetry monthly, advocating new poetry. The following year, he published his long poem "destruction", which attracted wide attention in the poetry circle at that time. He then wrote "Qinhuai River in the sound of oars and the shadow of lights", which was known as "the model of vernacular art". In 1924, the collection of poems and essays "trace" was published. In 1925, he was employed by Tsinghua University as a professor of Chinese department. His creation turned from poetry to prose, and he devoted himself to the study of classical literature. After the "March 18th" massacre, he wrote "the massacre of the government" and other articles to denounce the atrocities of the warlord government. In 1928, the first collection of essays back was published. In 1930, acting director of Chinese Department of Tsinghua University. The next year, he studied in England and traveled in several European countries. He wrote European travel and London travel. He returned to China in 1932 and became professor and head of the Chinese Department of Tsinghua University. During the "12.9" movement, he paraded with his classmates. After the outbreak of the Anti Japanese War, he moved south with the University and became a professor of Southwest Associated University. In October 1946, he returned to Peking and edited the complete works of Wen Yiduo. At the same time, he actively participated in various democratic activities. He died of gastric perforation in Peiping on August 12, 1948. He was only 50 years old.

His works, such as back and moonlight in the lotus pond, are the early representative works of modern Chinese prose, with the publication of complete works of Zhu Ziqing.

Character experience

Born on November 22, 1898 in Donghai County, Jiangsu Province (now pingming Town, Donghai County, Lianyungang City). He moved to Yangzhou with his family at the age of six. I spent my childhood and adolescence there. He inherited his father's family tradition from his childhood, and gradually developed the literati temperament of "neat and gentle, solemn and reserved" under the influence of the literati family.

In 1912, he entered the eighth middle school of Jiangsu Province (now Yangzhou middle school).

He graduated from middle school in 1916 and was admitted to Peking University. He was promoted to the Department of Philosophy in 1917. During his stay in Peking University, Zhu Ziqing took an active part in the May 4th patriotic movement, and later participated in the lecture group of civilian education organized by Peking University students to spread new ideas. And married Wu Zhongqian. Zhu Ziqing's name was changed when he applied for Peking University in 1917. It was written in the book of songs of Chu · Buju that "honesty and uprightness are better than self-cleaning", which means honesty and uprightness can keep himself clean. Zhu Ziqing chose "Ziqing" as his name, which means to encourage him not to lose his mind, not to mix with others, and to keep his innocence. He also chose the word "Peixian". "Peixian" comes from "Dong An is slow in nature, so Peixian is anxious", which means that Gongxian is often tense, and those who are slow in nature are alert.

In 1919, he began to publish poems. As one of the poets in the early stage of the new literature movement, he showed his own characteristics in the poetry world with his fresh and bright poems. In February 1919, he published his first collection of poems, sleep, little man.

After finishing the course in 1920, he graduated in advance from the Department of philosophy of Peking University. After graduation, he first taught Chinese and philosophy in Hangzhou No.1 normal school, and then returned to his alma mater, Jiangsu No.8 Middle School (now Yangzhou middle school), and served as the teaching director. He continued to participate in the new literature movement and became an early member of the Literary Research Association. He also participated in launching the first poetry group "China New Poetry Society" in the history of new literature and the first poetry magazine "poetry" monthly. He supported the activities of the lakeside Poetry Society and Chenguang literature society composed of young students and worked hard to open up the road of new poetry.

He was one of the most important writers in the period of the May 4th movement.

In 1922, he came to Taizhou No.6 normal school to teach alone. He and Yu Pingbo founded the poetry monthly and actively participated in the new literature movement. In August 1925, he began to teach in Tsinghua University and began to study Chinese classical literature.

In 1923, Zhu Ziqing published nearly 300 lines of lyric poem "destruction", which showed his serious thinking about life and "stepping on the soil step by step, making deep footprints". This enterprising attitude towards life had a great influence at that time.

In 1924, the collection of poems and essays "trace" was published. In 1925, Zhu Ziqing became a professor in the Chinese Department of Tsinghua University. He began to engage in literary research, and his writing turned to prose.

The failure of the great revolution in 1927 further intensified China's social contradictions. "April 12" coup brought great shock to Zhu Ziqing's thought, and his thought and creation took a great turn. His works are no longer limited to Lyric sketches of daily life, but turn to essays criticizing the ugly reality.

In 1928, the first collection of essays, back, was published. All the works in the collection are personal true experience and unique feeling, and are unique with plain, simple, fresh and beautiful writing style.

In August 1931, Zhu Ziqing studied in England for further study of linguistics and English literature. Later, he toured five European countries. In July 1932, he returned to China and served as the director of the Department of Chinese literature at Tsinghua University, discussing with Wen Yiduo.

On August 20, 1932, Zhu Ziqing and Chen Zhuyin returned to Yangzhou to visit their relatives. Zhu Ziqing and his wife were married in Shanghai. At the end of August 1932, Zhu Ziqing went to Europe to study.

In 1934, he published the European travel notes and London travel notes, which are two travel notes written in the style of impression.

In 1935, he wrote the poetry anthology of the great series of Chinese New Literature and the introduction. The following year, he published a collection of essays "you and I", in which "to the dead woman" vividly recalled the past events of Wu Zhongqian's deceased wife, with sincere and moving feelings. In this period, although the sentiment of Zhu Ziqing's prose was slightly inferior to that of his early days, his ingenious conception and sincere attitude were still the same as before, and the colloquialism of literature was more natural and refined.

After the outbreak of the Anti Japanese War, Zhu Ziqing went south to Changsha with Tsinghua University. In March 1938, he went to Kunming to serve as the director of the Department of Chinese literature of southwest United University, which was merged by Peking University, Tsinghua University and Nankai University. He was also elected as the director of the all China literary and art anti enemy Association. During the hard years of the Anti Japanese War, he engaged in teaching and literature research with a serious and rigorous attitude. He once co authored with Ye Shengtao the teaching of Chinese and other books.

In 1940, Zhu Ziqing witnessed hungry people plundering rice warehouses in Chengdu. He angrily wrote an article on eating, accusing those in power of ignoring people's food and clothing and supporting people's struggle to safeguard their natural human rights.

After the victory of the Anti Japanese war in 1945, the Kuomintang government launched a civil war to suppress the democratic movement. Especially in July 1946, Zhu Ziqing's friends Li Gongpu and Wen Yiduo were killed successively, which made him shocked and indignant. So he attended the memorial meeting of Li and Wen massacres held by all walks of life in Chengdu and reported Wen Yiduo's life story.

In October 1946, he returned to Beiping from Sichuan and served as the convener of the Committee for sorting out Wen Yiduo's remains in November.

In October 1946, after a long and tortuous road, he became a revolutionary Democrat under the promotion of the education of the dark reality and the patriotic democratic movement. In the actual struggle against hunger and civil war, he was seriously ill. He signed the declaration of protesting the U.S. policy of supporting Japan and refusing to receive American aid flour, and told his family not to buy and sell flour. He always maintained the integrity and sentiment of an upright patriotic intellectual.

On August 12, 1948, Zhu Ziqing died of serious stomach disease (perforation caused by severe gastric ulcer) at the age of 50.

Main works

reference material

Creative features

Prose

theme

The theme of Zhu Ziqing's prose is mainly expressed in five aspects: first, expressing one's will; second, reading and traveling; third, expressing one's feelings in books; fourth, perceiving and perceiving the world; fifth, criticizing the shortcomings of the times.

First of all, the prose of expressing one's will. The prose of expressing one's will and expressing one's will plays an important role in Zhu Ziqing's prose creation, which reflects his life philosophy and value choice.

Secondly, reading essays. There are many famous essays about sightseeing in the prose collections such as trace, Europe travel and London travel. Zhu Ziqing's prose of reading, recording and traveling pays attention to the description and display of both natural and human geography. For example, "Qinhuai River in the sound of oars and lights", "green", "travel notes of Songtang", "summer in Yangzhou" and "miscellany of Mengzi" are closely integrated with the description of natural customs and human landscape.

Thirdly, lyric prose. Zhu Ziqing's lyric prose in memory of his family and friends include "to the dead woman", "children", "mourning Wei Jie's three monarchs", "huaiwei Huaiqing monarch", "Ye Shengtao I saw" and so on. The prose of impromptu writing and lyric are "in a hurry", "spring", "singing", "Moonlight in the lotus pond", "choosing a mate", "flying" and so on.

Fourth, the essay of feeling the world. Zhu Ziqing is also a modern writer and educator who is constantly thinking about the real life. He often shares his life feelings and experiences with readers. The life perception in his works is solid but not mysterious, real but not artificial. He often shows the precious secrets of life to readers through the discourse platform built by words. For example, many chapters in his prose collection "Chinese shadow and others" are about the experiences and insights of life.

Chinese PinYin : Zhu Zi Qing