1. Post Cultural Revolution Chinese Poetry
The Misty Poets
Shu Ting
Li-Young Lee

2. The Misty Poets
1979-1989
Influenced by Western ideas
Challenge Maoist ideas
Comment on political and social issues
Celebrate individuality
Often write using obscure images
Many were exiled after Tianaman Square (1989)
3. First some Historical Context
The Cultural Revolution began in the summer of 1966
Students in Beijing formed into military groups called Red Guards
Schools and colleges were closed so that the curriculum could be re-written to make young people more aware of Communist ideas
The first aim was to get rid of all capitalist and bourgeois influences
4. Propoganda
5. Aims of the Cultural Revolution
The Red Guards began a Four Olds Campaign against
Old culture
Old customs
Old ideas
Old habits
6. Methods
There were huge parades
There were attacks on anything which seemed capitalist or bourgeois
Physical attacks occurred
Many works of art were destroyed
Places were renamed
Mao said to rebel is justified.
7. The Red Guards ran wild
By 1967 law and order had broken down
Red Guards began to fight among themselves and against reactionaries
It is estimated that 400,000 wee killed and thousands more beaten, tortured or imprisoned
Mao was worshipped as a hero
Teachers were attacked as being too intellectual
8. 9. Impact
Young people had missed education
Industrial output had fallen
Farming was disrupted
Old culture was lost or destroyed
Many intellectuals had been persecuted or killed
10. What is the significance of this?
We are studying a literature course. How will this information help us understand the misty poets?
Discuss in pairs?
11. First Impressions
What is your favourite pair of lines?
Why?
Action Activity
What imagery do you notice?
What is its impact?
How does this poem relate to the background context?
12. Structure and Jintishi Poetry
Developed in the Tang Dynasty (618-907AD)
Strict structural features (equivalent to a sonnet)
8 Lines divided into 4 couplets
Each couplet presents parallel ideas from a contrasting perspective with similar grammatical patterns
Theme was often history or politics
13.SleepBlackPrays
14. 15. Li-Young Lee
Father was a Doctor for Chairman Mao
Exiled to Indonesia
Later moved to America
Writes in English
16. Whats it all about?

Beauty?
Sensuality?
Death?
Significance of the layout?
Use of language?
Differences between stanza one and two?