Poem and life

As far as Zhai sees it, a poet must find a way of living which is good for a writing career. "Zhai is one of the rare people who live totally according to their inner hearts. Her external and internal are consistent," said Ma Song, a Chinese poet.

Her many fellow poets who were active in the mid-1980s have gone through ups and downs in life. Some have changed their careers, some are still wandering, struggling for a living, and others have returned to the writing desk after a period of business life.

"More than 20 years ago, poetry was a respected art. Throw a little stone at a crowd in the street and you could hit a poet. But now, even a pouring rain can't hit a poet," said Zhai.

Poets lost their previous aura of fame. Now when she is introduced as a poet at business parties, she often hears deafening laughter. From the prosperity of the 1980s to the decline of the 1990s, and until now, she has witnessed the vicissitudes of the Chinese poetry cycle.

"I do not think that the change of living conditions or identity can explain all the difficulties poets face in real life. For poets, their careers and identity are both uncertain factors. The only certain thing is poetry's meaning to them," said Zhai.

The World

"The waves beat against me like a midwife patting my back, and so the world invades my body startling me, bewildering me, letting me feel a certain ecstasy."