Yu Guangzhong

Yu Guangzhong

Yu Guangzhong (October 21, 1928 ~ December 14, 2017), a famous contemporary writer, poet, scholar and translator, was born in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province and his ancestral home is Yongchun, Quanzhou, Fujian Province. Because her mother was originally from Wujin, Jiangsu Province, she also called herself "Jiangnan.".

He graduated from Nanjing Youth Association middle school in 1947 and joined the Foreign Language Department of Jinling University. He transferred to the Foreign Language Department of Xiamen University in 1949 and graduated from the Foreign Language Department of Taiwan University in 1952. In 1959, he received a master of Arts degree from the University of Iowa. He has taught at Soochow University, Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan University and Taiwan Political University. At the invitation of the U.S. State Department, he went to many American universities as visiting professors twice. In 1972, he was professor and director of the Department of western languages at Taiwan Political University. From 1974 to 1985, he was a professor in the Chinese Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and concurrently the head of the Chinese Department of the United College of the Chinese University of Hong Kong for two years. In 1985, he was a professor and Chair Professor of Sun Yat sen University in Taiwan. For six years, he was concurrently the president of the College of liberal arts and the director of the Institute of foreign languages.

Yu Guangzhong has been engaged in poetry, prose, criticism and translation all his life. He claims to be the "four dimensions" of his writing and is known as the "bright colorful pen" in the literary world. He has been galloping in the literary world for more than half a century and has been widely involved. He is known as the "artistic polygamist". His literary career is long, broad and deep. He is a great master of contemporary poetry, an important town of prose, a famous critic and an excellent translator. It has published 21 poetry collections, 11 prose collections, 5 commentary collections, 13 translation collections and more than 40 collections. His representative works include "white jade bitter gourd" (poetry anthology), "memory is as long as a rail" (prose anthology), and "on the watershed: Yu Guangzhong's commentary anthology" (commentary anthology). His poems such as "nostalgia", "four rhymes of nostalgia", prose such as "listen to the cold rain" and "my four imaginary enemies" are widely included in Chinese Textbooks of mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

On December 14, 2017, Professor Yu Guangzhong died in Taiwan at the age of 89.

Life of the characters

Yu Guangzhong was born in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province on October 21, 1928. He studied in moling Road Primary School (formerly cuibaxiang primary school) and Nanjing Youth Association middle school (later incorporated into Nanjing No.5 Middle School).

In 1947, he graduated from Nanjing Youth Association middle school and was admitted to Peking University and Jinling university respectively. Because the North was restless, he entered the Foreign Language Department of Jin University.

In 1948, at the age of 20, he published his first collection of poems.

In 1949, at the beginning of the civil war, he fled to Shanghai with his mother from Nanjing, and then went to Xiamen, where he transferred to the second grade of Foreign Languages Department of Xiamen University. In July, he moved to Hong Kong with his parents and was absent from school for one year.

In 1950, he came to Taiwan in May and was admitted to the third grade of the Foreign Language Department of Taiwan University in September.

In 1952, after graduating from National Taiwan University, his first work, the sad songs of Zhouzi, was published. He won the first place in the joint service training course for land, sea and air force compilers.

In 1954, together with Qin Zihao, Zhong Dingwen, Xia Jing and Deng Yuping, he created the "Blue Star Poetry Society".

In 1956, he retired. He also teaches in Soochow University. In September, he married fan I Cun.

In 1958, he went to the United States for further study with the Asian Association prize. He studied literary creation, American literature and modern art at the University of Iowa.

In 1959, he received a master of Arts degree from the University of Iowa. He returned to Taiwan as a lecturer in English Department of Normal University.

In 1961, he went to the Philippines to give lectures. In Dongwu, Donghai and Tanjiang.

In 1964, at the invitation of the State Department of the United States, he went to the United States to give lectures for one year. He taught in Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York successively.

In 1965, he was an associate professor of English at West Michigan State University for one year.

In 1966, he returned to Taiwan. He was promoted to associate professor of Normal University. He also teaches at NTU, Zhengda and Tamkang.

In 1969, he was employed by the U.S. Department of education as a foreign curriculum consultant of the Department of education and a visiting professor of temple bell college in Colorado for two years.

In 1971, he returned to Taiwan from the United States. He was promoted to a professor at National Normal University and taught concurrently at National Taiwan University and national political university.

In 1972, he won the Australian government's cultural prize and was invited to visit Australia in February during the summer vacation. At the invitation of the world Chinese Press Association, he made a speech in Hong Kong. He was transferred to head of the Department of western languages at Zhengda.

In 1974, he was transferred to the Chinese Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

In 1975, he also served as head of the Chinese Department of the United College of the Chinese University of Hong Kong for two years.

In 1980, he took a year off and returned to Taiwan as the head of the English department and the director of the Institute of English studies.

In 1981, he attended the Chinese University's "Symposium on literature in the 1940s", met with Ke Ling and Xin Di for the first time, and read out his paper "try to see the palms for Xin Di".

In 1985, he left Hong Kong and returned to Taiwan as president of the school of Arts and director of the Institute of foreign languages, Sun Yat sen University, Kaohsiung. Before his departure, the Hong Kong Chinese Culture Promotion Center held a farewell poetry meeting hosted by Dai Tian.

In 1990, he was elected president of Taiwan pen association.

In 1992, he served as "visiting scholar of Gong family" of New Asia College of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

In 1993, the United College of the Chinese University of Hong Kong invited him to be the "visiting outstanding scholar".

In 1995, Xiamen University invited the visiting professor to give a speech.

In 1997, the Chinese University of Hong Kong held a "cross strait Seminar on translation teaching" and was invited to deliver a keynote speech.

In 2003, he was awarded the honorary doctor of literature by the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

In 2007, he was appointed honorary Dean of School of Arts of Beijing Normal University (Zhuhai branch).

In 2010, he visited Jiangnan University with his wife and daughter and was employed as a visiting professor of Jiangnan University. In the same year, Yu Guangzhong came to Zigui, the hometown of Qu Yuan, Hubei Province, to participate in the first Dragon Boat Festival and the cross-strait cultural forum of Qu Yuan. He specially wrote a poem "Zigui sacrifice to Qu Yuan" in memory of Qu Yuan. On June 17, Yu Guangzhong participated in the Quyuan Culture Forum on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and was employed as a visiting professor of Three Gorges University. He gave a report entitled "my four dimensions" to the teachers and students of the University.

On March 24, 2011, National Sun Yat sen University held a lecture on "writing in Taiwan: Symphony of poetry and notes in the world" at Yixian Hall of National Sun Yat sen University. Professor Yu Guangzhong of the Department of foreign languages of National Sun Yat sen University and director Chen Fangming of Taiwan Literature Research Institute of National Chengchi University spoke to the students in the form of conversation. In April, he was invited to be a visiting professor of Zhejiang University.

On April 20, 2012, he was employed as "resident poet" of Peking University.

In April 2014, he was invited to be the "resident writer" of the University of Macau.

From February 27 to March 6, 2015, Professor Yu Guangzhong visited the Chinese University of Hong Kong and presided over the academic lecture on the 65th anniversary of New Asia College and the 28th "Mr. Qian Binsi's academic and cultural lecture". During this period, Professor Yu gave three public lectures to discuss the characteristics and similarities and differences of Chinese and western poets and poems, and shared the experience of appreciating poetry recitation.

On December 14, 2017, Professor Yu Guangzhong died in Taiwan at the age of 89.

Main works

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Achievement and honor

In 1962, he was awarded the literary and art medal by the Chinese literary and Art Association.

In 1982, at the age of 54, legend won the Golden Tripod Award for lyrics from the Taipei Information Bureau.

In 1984, at the age of 56, he won the prose award of Wu Sanlian literature award.

In 1985, at the age of 57, he won the new poetry recommendation award of China times.

In 1989, at the age of 61, he published the great Department of modern Chinese literature, which won the Golden Tripod prize for book editing. He was selected as the first "person of the month" in the joint supplement.

In 1990, at the age of 62, he was elected president of Taiwan pen association.

In 1991, at the age of 63, he was awarded the "literary achievement award" by the American Spanish Chinese Association and the honorary rank of the Hong Kong Translation Society.

In 1994, at the age of 66, the commentary collection from Xu Xiake to Van Gogh won the best book award of United Daily. Reader.

In 1996, at the age of 68, orderly won the best book award of Lianhe daily. Reader.

In 1997, aged 69, he was awarded the title of visiting professor by Jilin University and Northeast Normal University. He was awarded "contribution award of poetry art" by Chinese poetry art society.

In 1998, at the age of 70, the radio and television foundation filmed the album "Yu Guangzhong, a giant poet". He was awarded the "literary exchange Award" of the first May 4th prize of the Chinese people's Federation of Arts, the "outstanding teaching award" of Sun Yat sen University, the "fitofi outstanding achievement award" of the Republic of China, and the "international communication Medal" of the information bureau of the Executive Yuan. The collection of essays "the sun never sets home" won the best book award of "United Daily. Reader". The publication of new works and new books on the 70th birthday was selected as the sixth of the top ten reading news in 1998 by Taiwan TV company "dialogue between people and books".

In 1999, the sun never sets won the Wu Luqin prose award.

In 2000, at the age of 72, he won the best book award of Lianhe daily.

In 2001, at the age of 73, he won the second "Huo Yingdong Achievement Award".

Personal life

Yu Guangzhong was born in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. His father is Yu Chaoying and his mother is sun Xiujun. However, his mother was from Wujin, Jiangsu Province, and his wife was from Changzhou, so he thought of himself as a Jiangnan. During the war of resistance against Japan, he studied in middle school in Sichuan and consciously became a Shu people. "Chinese mainland (mainland China) is a mother, Taiwan is a wife, Hongkong is a lover, and Europe is an affair," she said.

Poet Yu Guangzhong and his wife fan Wo Cun have been married for 61 years. They know each other and cherish each other. The writer Zhang Xiaofeng once described Yu Guangzhong as the well where people drink, while fan Wucun is the one who protects the well.

Commemoration of later generations

Taiwan poet Yu Guangzhong passed away on December 14, 2017. On December 29, Yu Guangzhong's farewell ceremony was held in Kaohsiung, where nearly a thousand people from both sides of the Strait and overseas cultural circles, relatives, friends and students gathered

Chinese PinYin : Yu Guang Zhong