Burning Confession: Zhu Dafu's True Confession

Author: Yu Dafu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: Yu Dafu, a prominent figure in modern Chinese literature and one of the key initiators of the Creation Society. His life left behind a wealth of memorable works for literature enthusiasts, including novels, essays, and poetry. At the same time, his legendary experiences in love and marriage have often been the subject of much discussion among later generations. Yu Dafu's famous novel collection The Drowning, once popular for exposing the anxieties of youth and depicting the conflict between the spirit and the flesh. The suffering young man in the story was a reflection of the author himself—Yu Dafu. According to Yu Dafu's Spring Melancholy Like Water—Autobiography IV and Autobiographical Poetry, his sexual awareness began to stir when he was 13, still studying at Fuyang Higher Primary School, where he had a (first love) with a neighboring girl from the Zhao family, described as a "spring melancholy like water." This gentle, watery spring melancholy disturbed his innocent heart for two years. Later, when the Zhao girl got engaged, he deeply regretted having lost his chance. Around the same time, he also had similar romantic relationships with two other girls, Qian'er and others. For Yu Dafu, literature and love were intertwined. The passion of love had already melted into his blood, and throughout his life, he was always inspired by love to create, which found expression in his literary works, writing one masterpiece after another. Similarly, his romantic experiences, like his famous works, radiated a captivating charm—whether it was longing, confusion, or tragic songs, they all became timeless classics.