THE JOURNAL OF 21st Century Chinese Poetry 《廿一世纪中国诗歌》is an independent journal committed to showcasing the best of contemporary Chinese poetry. We exist to discover and celebrate poetry and the Chinese poets who write them with the largest possible Anglophone audience.

In the early twentieth century, The May Fourth Movement (1917-1921) opened the door for vernacular Chinese to be accepted as a legitimate poetic voice. This was followed by an outpouring of verse written in 'plain speech' by people from all walks of life in contrast to the classical, elitist poetic forms of imperial China.

A century has now passed since these 'new' poetic voices emerged. Vernacular poetry has continued to blossom in poetry journals and in cyberspace.

21st Century Chinese Poetry aims to carry that tradition further: translating poets from across China for readers who would otherwise never encounter them.

Please send all enquiries, suggestions and corrections regarding 21st Century Chinese Poetry to Meifu Wang at:

editor@modernchinesepoetry.com

Founder and Editor
Meifu Wang



A TASTE OF CONTEMPORARY CHINESE POETRY

From 2012 to 2015, our team worked with a group of Chinese poets in China to introduce contemporary Chinese poetry to the wider world. We translated the works of 66 contemporary Chinese poets into English and broadcast them on this website and in print (ISSN 2166-3688).

From 2018 to 2022, we further collaborated with China's Poetry Journal (诗刊) to bring a selection of their monthly publication to world-wide readers. Poetry Journal (Beijing, China）was founded in 1957, with an emphasis on the publication of contemporary Chinese poetry as well as classical poetry by living poets. It is the widest-circulated poetry journal in China.

Circulating more than sixty years, the journal has brought together and introduced a great number of poets, reflecting many of the sweeping changes that the country has witnessed over that period.

WHERE THINGS STAND NOW

For a decade, this website has been a labour of love of the editor, out of devotion to poetry and poets, to bring contemporary Chinese poetry to English-speaking readers.

Since summer of 2023, Meifu has turned her attention to her own poetry and to poetry from other parts of the world. Please continue to explore the poems translated here over the years. Meifu is also gradually updating the earlier issues of 21st Century Chinese Poetry (No.1 - No. 15) and adding them to poems "from Other Journals". Meifu also continues to meet with Chinese poets periodically, in China or overseas, to explore ways to add new poems to this website.

You can read some of Meifu's poems here: Go to Meifu's Poems

POEM OF THE DAY     一天一首诗

SOMETHING HAPPENS IN THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL

• by Shen Haobo


• Some feelings aren’t obvious during the day,
• but in her deep sleep at night,
• eyes closed tight,
• she looks undeniably sad.
• Sadness in sleep,
• alas, is probably real sorrow.
• I take part in her days,
• but cannot enter her sorrowful sleep.
• Wakefully I witness her sadness,
• but cannot understand its reasons.
• Something happens in the dark night of the soul,
• where I am kept out, in the light.


• Translated by Meifu Wang & Michael Soper

• This poem was originally written in Chinese and published in Poetry Journal (Beijing, China); its English translation first appeared on this website and simultaneously in China via WeChat (微信).

  We encourage you to read this poem as an exercise of slow reading.

  
  
  

    

  Shen Haobo 沈浩波

  b. 1976
  
  Shen Haobo, poet, publisher, was born in Taixing, Jiangsu Province. A graduate of Beijing Normal University, he once advocated the Chinese poetic experiment called "The Lower-Half Movement". He has published several poetry books, including Big Evils in the Heart, A Chronicle of Wenlou Village, Butterflies, and Make Me Quiet. He is the founder of Xiron Books, Beijing.
  
  沈浩波，诗人、出版人。1976年出生于江苏泰兴，1999年毕业于北京师范大学。为世纪初席卷诗坛的“下半身诗歌运动”的重要发起者。2004年，受邀到荷兰与比利时举办专场诗歌朗诵会。出版有诗集《心藏大恶》、《文楼村记事》、《蝴蝶》、《命令我沉默》。曾获第11届华语文学传媒大奖；《人民文学》诗歌奖；《十月》诗歌奖；中国首届桂冠诗集奖；首届“新世纪诗典”金诗奖；第三届长安诗歌节·现代诗成就大奖等。同时，作为北京磨铁图书有限公司创始人，是国内最著名的出版人之一。
  
  Shen Haobo's poems can be read here: Something Happens in the Dark of the Soul.