Yu Dafu
Encyclopedia
Yu Dafu (December 7, 1896—September 17, 1945). Born in Fuyang
, Hangzhou
, Zhejiang
, was a modern Chinese
short story writer and poet
.
. Chronologically he studied in Jiangxing-Fu Middle School (before he came to Hangzhou), Hangzhou-Fu Middle School, Yuying Academy (育英学堂, formerly of Zhejiang University).
In 1912, he entered Hangchow University
(later its major part merged into Zhejiang University
) preparatory through examination. He was there only for a short period before he was expelled for participation in a student strike.
He then moved to Japan
, where he studied economics
at the Tokyo Imperial University between 1913 and 1922, where he met other Chinese intellectuals (namely, Guo Moruo
, Zhang Ziping
and Tian Han
). Together, in 1921 they founded the Chuangzao she 創造社 ("Creation Society"), which promoted vernacular and modern literature. One of his earlier works Chenlun 沉淪, also his most famous, published in Japan in 1921. The work had gained immense popularity in China, shocking the world of Chinese literature
with its frank dealing with sex, as well as grievances directed at the incompetence of Chinese government at the time.
In 1922, he returned to China as a literary celebrity and worked as the editor of Creation Quarterly, editing journals and writing short stories. In 1923, after an attack of tuberculosis
, Yu Dafu directed his attention to the welfare of the masses.
In 1927, he worked as an editor of the Hongshui literary magazine
. He later came in conflict with the Communist Party of China
and fled back to Japan.
, he returned to China and worked as a writer of anti-Japanese propaganda
in Hangzhou, and later in Zhejiang
. From 1938 to 1942, he worked as a literary editor for the newspaper Sin Chew Jit Poh
in Singapore
.
In 1942 when the Imperial Japanese Army
invaded Singapore
, he was forced to flee to Sumatra
. Known under a different identity, he settled there among other overseas Chinese
and began a brewery business with the help of the locals. Later he was forced to help the Japanese military police
as an interpreter when it was discovered that he was one of the few "locals" in the area who could speak Japanese
.
In 1945, he was arrested by the Kempeitai when his true identity was finally discovered. It is believed that he was executed by the Japanese shortly after the surrender of Japan
.
His most popular work, breaking all Chinese sales records, was Jih-chi chiu-chung "Nine Diaries
", which detailed his affair with the writer Wang Ying-hsin. The most critically acclaimed work is Kuo-ch'u or "The Past", written in 1927.
Fuyang, Zhejiang
Fuyang a county-level city under jurisdiction of Hangzhou, the provincial capital of Zhejiang province. Fuyang is located on the Fuchun River, a 285 mile long lower stream of Qiantang River, an important commercial artery, it flows NE to the East China Sea at Hangzhou...
, Hangzhou
Hangzhou
Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...
, Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
, was a modern Chinese
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...
short story writer and 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...
.
Early years
Yu Dafu's father died when he was three, leaving the family poverty-stricken and destitute. He received a number of scholarships through the Chinese government and went on to receive a traditional Chinese education in HangzhouHangzhou
Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...
. Chronologically he studied in Jiangxing-Fu Middle School (before he came to Hangzhou), Hangzhou-Fu Middle School, Yuying Academy (育英学堂, formerly of Zhejiang University).
In 1912, he entered Hangchow University
Hangchow University Historic Site
Hangchow University Historic Site is a famous National Historic Site & Cultural Heritage under State Protection of the People's Republic of China. - Introduction :...
(later its major part merged into Zhejiang University
Zhejiang University
Zhejiang University , sometimes referred to as Zheda, is a national university in China. Founded in 1897, Zhejiang University is one of China's oldest institutions of higher education...
) preparatory through examination. He was there only for a short period before he was expelled for participation in a student strike.
He then moved to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, where he studied economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at the Tokyo Imperial University between 1913 and 1922, where he met other Chinese intellectuals (namely, Guo Moruo
Guo Moruo
Guo Moruo , courtesy name Dingtang , was a Chinese author, poet, historian, archaeologist, and government official from Sichuan, China.-Family history:Guo, originally named Guo Kaizhen, was born on November 10 or 16, in the small town of Shawan...
, Zhang Ziping
Zhang Ziping
Zhang Ziping was a Chinese writer born in Meixian, Meizhou, Guangdong-Biography:Zhang received a classical education and, after studying in Japan from 1912, received a degree in geology from Tokyo Imperial University in 1922. On his return to China, he engaged in various business ventures, wrote,...
and Tian Han
Tian Han
Tian Han , born in Changsha, Hunan, was a Chinese drama activist, playwright, a leader of revolutionary music and films, as well as a translator and poet. Tian contributed a great deal to the development of Chinese modern drama as well as Chinese opera...
). Together, in 1921 they founded the Chuangzao she 創造社 ("Creation Society"), which promoted vernacular and modern literature. One of his earlier works Chenlun 沉淪, also his most famous, published in Japan in 1921. The work had gained immense popularity in China, shocking the world of Chinese literature
Chinese literature
Chinese literature extends thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature fictional novels that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese...
with its frank dealing with sex, as well as grievances directed at the incompetence of Chinese government at the time.
In 1922, he returned to China as a literary celebrity and worked as the editor of Creation Quarterly, editing journals and writing short stories. In 1923, after an attack of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, Yu Dafu directed his attention to the welfare of the masses.
In 1927, he worked as an editor of the Hongshui literary magazine
Literary magazine
A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry and essays along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters...
. He later came in conflict with the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
and fled back to Japan.
Second Sino-Japanese war
After the start of the Second Sino-Japanese warSecond 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 returned to China and worked as a writer of anti-Japanese propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
in Hangzhou, and later in Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
. From 1938 to 1942, he worked as a literary editor for the newspaper Sin Chew Jit Poh
Sin Chew Jit Poh
Sin Chew Daily （formerly known as Sin Chew Jit Poh）, is a leading Chinese-language newspaper in Malaysia. According to report from the Audit Bureau of Circulation for the period ending 30 June 2009, Sin Chew Daily has an average daily circulation of some 400,000 copies...
in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
In 1942 when the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
invaded Singapore
Battle of Singapore
The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of the Second World War when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold of Singapore. Singapore was the major British military base in Southeast Asia and nicknamed the "Gibraltar of the East"...
, he was forced to flee to Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
. Known under a different identity, he settled there among other overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the Greater China Area . People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese....
and began a brewery business with the help of the locals. Later he was forced to help the Japanese military police
Kempeitai
The was the military police arm of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1881 to 1945. It was not an English-style military police, but a French-style gendarmerie...
as an interpreter when it was discovered that he was one of the few "locals" in the area who could speak Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
.
In 1945, he was arrested by the Kempeitai when his true identity was finally discovered. It is believed that he was executed by the Japanese shortly after the surrender of Japan
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
.
Works
- Chenlun 沉淪 "Sinking" (1921)
- Riji jiuzhong 日記九種 “Nine DiariesNine DiariesJih-chi chiu-chung was the most popular book published by Chinese writer Yu Dafu. Written in 1927, it detailed the events of his affair with the leftist writer Wang Ying-hsia and broke all previous Chinese sales records.-References:...
” (1927) - Guoqu 過去 “The Past" (1927)
- his first novel?? (1928) (moderately successful)
- his second novel?? (1932)
- Chuben 出奔 "Flight" (1935)
His most popular work, breaking all Chinese sales records, was Jih-chi chiu-chung "Nine Diaries
Nine Diaries
Jih-chi chiu-chung was the most popular book published by Chinese writer Yu Dafu. Written in 1927, it detailed the events of his affair with the leftist writer Wang Ying-hsia and broke all previous Chinese sales records.-References:...
", which detailed his affair with the writer Wang Ying-hsin. The most critically acclaimed work is Kuo-ch'u or "The Past", written in 1927.