2005 Poetry

Author: Han Zhongliang, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: In the deep autumn gradually turning into early winter in the suburbs of Beijing, I began compiling this poetry anthology for the fifth year of the "New Century." Outside the window was a desolate scene—dense willow forests along the Qing River were shedding yellow leaves with a rustling sound. Sunlight dappled through the trees, while on the adjacent road, massive vehicles roared towards the construction site of the "Olympic Village," kicking up blinding dust in their wake. It was a bleak yet bustling, cold yet lively winter. At this moment, I was indoors, flipping through another kind of construction site—a pile of books and materials, wielding decisive yet hesitant scissors, crafting this non-existent thing amidst the turmoil of editing and doubt. I was engaged in a task that was not rhetoric, yet resembled it remarkably. Perhaps a multi-polar era of poetry has already arrived. In the five years of the new century, a new poetic landscape has roughly taken shape. Maybe it no longer makes much sense to categorize this landscape based on birth years or the order of fame, as a "generation concept." Instead, a horizontal division based on the tastes of various social strata and groups would be more realistic and practical. This book features selected outstanding poems published in the current year, curated by contemporary authorities. It includes works by writers such as Chen Suola, Yi, Axi, Axiang, and Anqi. Highlighting authority, comprehensiveness, and literary quality, it stands as a timeless masterpiece and a milestone in the history of contemporary Chinese literature.