Bian Zhilin
Encyclopedia
Bian Zhilin was a 20th century Chinese
poet
, translator and literature researcher.
Bian was born in Haimen
, Jiangsu
on December 8, 1910, and liked to read classical and modern Chinese poems when he was very young. In 1929, he entered the English department of Beijing University to study. During this time he was greatly influenced by the English romantic poems and French symbolic poems, and began to write poems by himself. The poetry anthology The Han Garden Collection (《汉园集》) co-written by Bian, Li Guangtian
and He Qifang
, was published in 1936.
Bian's poems were related to the Crescent School
(新月派) which advocated modern metrical poetry, but his style was closer to the Chinese symbolists. He once coedited the magazine New Poems (《新诗》) with the representative figure of Chinese symbolist poetry Dai Wangshu
. Bian's poems of this time represented his dissatisfaction and thinking of the social reality as a young intellectual, showed his quick perception, and sometimes hard to understand. He sought for strangeness of words, tidiness of syllables, and many of his poems were full of a melancholy mood.
During the Second Sino-Japanese War
, he taught at Sichuan University
and National Southwestern Associated University
. From 1938 to 1939 he took a visit to Yan'an
and Taihangshan, and once taught at the institute of lu xun's art and literature. Bian compiled his A Selection of 10 Years' Poetry (1930–1939) (《十年诗草》) in 1941, and it was published in the next year. In 1946, he went to the Nankai University
to teach.
In 1949, Bian became a professor of the foreign language department of Beijing University. From 1964, he served as a researcher of the Institute of Foreign Literature of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院外国文学研究所).
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, translator and literature researcher.
Bian was born in Haimen
Haimen
Haimen is a county-level city in the southeast of Jiangsu province of Eastern China. It is located at the opposite side of the Yangtze River to Shanghai. Chonghai Bridge links the city to Chongming County.The county has a seat named Haimen Township...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
on December 8, 1910, and liked to read classical and modern Chinese poems when he was very young. In 1929, he entered the English department of Beijing University to study. During this time he was greatly influenced by the English romantic poems and French symbolic poems, and began to write poems by himself. The poetry anthology The Han Garden Collection (《汉园集》) co-written by Bian, Li Guangtian
Li Guangtian
Li Guangtian was a 20th century Chinese essayist. Born into an indigent peasant family with the surname Wang, he was adopted by his uncle, and changed his surname into Li. In 1923, he entered the First Normal School of Shandong, and was arrested later because of recommending left-wing literature...
and He Qifang
He Qifang
He Qifang was a Chinese poet, essayist, literary critic and redologist. He was born in Wanxian, Sichuan Province, which is now Wanzhou District, Chongqing Municipality. He studied Philosophy at Peking University. Later in his life, he served as the director of the Institute of Literature at the...
, was published in 1936.
Bian's poems were related to the Crescent School
Crescent Moon Society
The Crescent Moon Society was a Chinese literary society founded by the poet Xu Zhimo in 1923, which operated until 1931. It was named after The Crescent Moon, a poem by Rabindranath Tagore...
(新月派) which advocated modern metrical poetry, but his style was closer to the Chinese symbolists. He once coedited the magazine New Poems (《新诗》) with the representative figure of Chinese symbolist poetry Dai Wangshu
Dai Wangshu
Dai Wangshu was a Chinese poet, essayist and translator active from the late 1920s to the end of the 1940s...
. Bian's poems of this time represented his dissatisfaction and thinking of the social reality as a young intellectual, showed his quick perception, and sometimes hard to understand. He sought for strangeness of words, tidiness of syllables, and many of his poems were full of a melancholy mood.
During the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
, he taught at Sichuan University
Sichuan University
Sichuan University is one of the oldest national universities in China. It is ranked No. 8 among the Chinese universities according to the 2010 Academic Ranking of World Universities....
and National Southwestern Associated University
National Southwestern Associated University
When the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out between China and Japan in 1937, Peking University, Tsinghua University and Nankai University, merged to form Changsha Temporary University in Changsha, and later National Southwestern Associated University in Kunming...
. From 1938 to 1939 he took a visit to Yan'an
Yan'an
Yan'an , is a prefecture-level city in the Shanbei region of Shaanxi province in China, administering several counties, including Zhidan County , which served as the Chinese communist capital before the city of Yan'an proper took that role....
and Taihangshan, and once taught at the institute of lu xun's art and literature. Bian compiled his A Selection of 10 Years' Poetry (1930–1939) (《十年诗草》) in 1941, and it was published in the next year. In 1946, he went to the Nankai University
Nankai University
Nankai University , commonly known as Nankai, is a public research university based in Tianjin on mainland China. Founded in 1919 by educators Zhang Boling and Yan Fansun , Nankai University is a member of the Nankai serial schools. It is the alma mater of former Chinese Premier and key historical...
to teach.
In 1949, Bian became a professor of the foreign language department of Beijing University. From 1964, he served as a researcher of the Institute of Foreign Literature of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院外国文学研究所).
Further reading
- Chinese Writers on Writing featuring Bian Zhilin. Ed. Arthur SzeArthur SzeArthur Sze is a second-generation Chinese American poet.-Background:Sze was educated at the University of California, Berkeley, and is the author of eight books of poetry...
. (Trinity University Press, 2010).