Yu Kwang-chung (Yu Guangzhong，余光中) 1928-
Contemporary poet, writer and critic. Born in Nanjing in 1928, Yu had to flee with his family in 1937 from the Japanese invading forces, and after returning to Nanjing in 1947 he again fled the Communist advance in the civil war. His family settled in Taiwan in 1950. Among the first students to graduate in foreign languages from the National Taiwan Univeristy, Yu began a career as a university teacher in 1956. His poetry collections include Lanse de yumao [Blue feather], Zai lengzhan de niandai [Cold war years] and Yu yongheng bahe [Tug-of-war with eternity]. He has also published many volumes of essays and literary criticism.So far, this prolific writer has published 17 poetry collections and 12 prose collections. Since the 1970s, Yu Guangzhong has written a number of poems expressing Taiwan people's nostalgia for their homeland and family members on the mainland: these have deeply touched the heartstrings of numerous Chinese.
Homesickness
In my childhood,
Homesickness was a small stamp.
I was here.
And my mother was over there:
When I grew up,
Homesickness was a narrow ship-ticket.
I was here
And my bride was over there:
And then
Homesickness was a small tomb.
With me outside
And my mother inside:
But now,
Homesickness is a shallow strait.
I am on this side.
And the mainland is on the other side.
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乡 愁·余光中 |
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This is one of the most-famous poems written by Yu Guangzhong, a renowned writer from Taiwan. Entitled "Homesickness", the oft-quoted poem vividly depicts the flesh and blood relations between people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits.
Addressing the issue of China's reunification, Yu Guangzhong has this to say:
"We are all descendants of the Chinese nation and share the same brilliant Chinese civilization. No one can deny this. I believe the 5,000-year-old Chinese culture will be a centripetal force in promoting the reunification of the Chinese nation."
