The poetry of Dai Wangshu

Born on March 5, 1905, Dai Wangshu is one of the most celebrated Chinese poets of the twentieth century. “Wangshu” is his most frequently used pen name and derives from a couplet in Lisao by the Chu bard Qu Yuan, “I sent Wang Shu ahead to ride before me; The Wind God went behind me as my outrider.” ¹ Dai is often described as a modernist, yet his pen name, by which he is almost universally known, suggests a complex relationship with Chinese tradition. Dai grew up in a moderately prosperous and cultured family. His father was a bank employee; his mother knew many vernacular stories and operatic arias by heart. The year of Dai’s birth coincided with the end of the millennium-old civil service examination system. Dai attended prestigious modern-style elementary and high schools in Hangzhou. Their conservative curricula, however, included heavy doses of traditional Chinese culture.