Li Shaojun, editor-in-chief of the Poetry Journal, has a resounding name - "natural poet". Where did the name come from? It seems to be Professor Yang Qingxiang from Chinese Min University. An article in the 6th issue of Contemporary Writers Review in 2012, "Between Nature and the Flesh: Poetry about Li Shaojun", was written by Yang Qingxiang.
Li Shaojun (Image from the Internet)
Professor Yang Qingxiang said in this article, "If we discuss Li Shaojun's poetry from the perspective of 'poetry' and 'painting', perhaps we can understand Li Shaojun as a modern 'natural poet'." As a result, Li Shaojun's title of "natural poet" has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and he himself seems to be quite satisfied with this title.
On January 21, 2022, China Poetry Network published an article titled "Li Jingze: Man and Nature, People and Ecology: A Speech at the October Ecological Literature Forum and the Poetry Journal Nature Poetry Forum". Li Jingze, vice chairman of the Writers Association, said that he was more inclined to the term "ecological literature."
The image comes from China Poetry Network
Li Jingze mentioned Xie Lingyun, Tao Yuanming, and Wang Wei in the article, saying that they were all typical representatives of "natural poets". But behind their "natural writing", there are actually issues of class background and position. Behind Wang Wei's "people idle and osmanthus flowers fall, and the night is quiet and the spring mountains are empty", behind the "people idle" and "night quiet", there must be a vast number of non-idle and non-quiet.
Then, he also said that when he was an editor, he was afraid that poets or essayists would write about nature, landscapes, and the countryside, saying that some people would be possessed by "squires" as soon as they lifted their pens. "If he had crossed over to the Eastern Jin Dynasty, he would have plunged headlong into Xie Lingyun's body, and in the Tang Dynasty, it would have been Wang Wei, and he would have been a little squire on Tao Yuanming's body, otherwise he would have turned a corner, flown over the Pacific Ocean, and pounced on Thoreau, and anyway he would not have pounced on an ordinary farmer a thousand years ago."
Li Jingze (Image from the Internet)
"The Japanese shotani pedestrians have long reminded us that natural scenery is not a purely objective thing, but is produced through the subject's cognitive device." Li Jingze said that this is "existence determines consciousness, what person you are in what position determines what scenery you see, and the scenery is your mirror." ”
In the view of Vice Chairman Li Jingze, "natural writing" is easy to "possess the squire". "The relationship between man and nature cannot be equated with the relationship between 'me' and nature, starting from 'me' and returning to 'me'." Ecology is different, "'Ecology' contains totality, is the sum of the relationship between man and the world, you can say 'I and nature', you say 'I and ecology' is very strange, ecology corresponds to the vast number of people and even human beings." ”
Ecology "of course pursues the harmonious coexistence of man and nature, but this person is not only an aesthetic and inner 'me', it must also be a 'big self', and it must construct a more conscious and active social subject." Therefore, in the view of Vice Chairman Li Jingze, ecological writing is broader and higher than natural writing, which is the unity of the "big self" and nature.
Let's not discuss whether Vice Chairman Li Jingze's view is right or wrong, but will Li Shaojun, who is known as a "natural poet," feel a little embarrassed when he hears this passage from Vice Chairman Li? Vice Chairman Li said that natural writing has a "squire atmosphere", so in his eyes, is li Shaojun, the "natural poet", a typical squire?
Originally, Yang Qingxiang said that Li Shaojun was a "natural poet", which was actually a compliment to him, and Li Shaojun also received several years. Unexpectedly, ten years later, a Suddenly There came Li Jingze, who was not accustomed to "natural poets". The point is that he is still the vice chairman of the Writers Association, which is a bit embarrassing to Li Shaojun.
I think the best solution is that Professor Yang Qingxiang will write another long treatise to argue that Li Shaojun is actually an "ecological poet", which is "perfect". From "natural" to "ecological", in fact, it does not take much effort, it is just an article. For Professor Yang Qingxiang, it is a piece of cake.
Yang Qingxiang (Image from the Internet)
Therefore, the current "famous poets" are best not to easily put on a top hat and wear it on their heads. Maybe it will be a momentary scenery, but maybe one day, the hat will become awkward. Wearing it is not, nor is it taken off, which makes people cry and laugh, but it has become a joke.