Cherry Blossom Letter

Author: Wu Ran
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: In China, writing prose poems specifically for children is a new literary phenomenon that emerged after the May Fourth New Culture Movement. Since the founding of New China, especially in the past two decades, this genre has developed rapidly. In recent years, when I participated in recommending and selecting primary school Chinese textbooks and extracurricular reading materials, I heard that both teachers and students loved this exquisite prose poetry. Some children's publications occasionally asked me to contribute short articles of this type. Not long ago, a literary friend of mine in Beijing even asked me for the Selected Prose Poems for Children I had compiled with Fan Fazai, published by China Youth Press in 1985. It was once included in the National Red Scarf Reading List but is now hard to find. From these demands, I felt a call for the flourishing of children's prose poetry creation. Therefore, I decided to compile a series titled Exquisite Contemporary Chinese Children's Prose Poems, selecting a few distinctive writers to curate their works in separate volumes. This idea was quickly supported by Mr. Xie Qingfeng of Hunan Children's Press. After telling this to Guo Feng, the elderly gentleman was very pleased. As a pioneer of contemporary Chinese children's prose poetry, he promptly sent me his manuscript. Although this series only contains seven books, they are quite representative. In terms of content, the works feature both the rustic charm of southern Fujian and the grassland sentiments of northern Shaanxi; the clapping and singing of forest leaves, as well as the toasts of lotus flowers in ponds; the fishing songs of the East China Sea, and fairy tales in the countryside; the customs and traditions of ethnic minorities on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, and the laughter of children in the Jiangnan water towns; the thirst for knowledge in schools, and the call of nature. They are truly rich and diverse. Each work has its own unique characteristics—some emphasize structure, others revel in natural beauty, some possess a lyrical rhythm, some blend scenery and emotion, some are filled with fairy-tale elements, and others are rich in philosophical depth. With their own innocence and poetic hearts, the writers have created distinct worlds of love and beauty for children. Their different personalities and styles make this series vibrant and colorful. I believe that the publication of this series will be beneficial to promoting the development of children's prose poetry in China, enriching children's reading, and enhancing their aesthetic and cultural literacy.