Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.3, 2020

The Poetry Creation Practice of Yan’an Revolutionaries and Its Value in the History of Poetry

(Abstract)

Cheng Guojun and Li Jikai

The creative poetry practice of Yan’an revolutionaries is a valuable spiritual treasure for modern Chinese history, but it has yet to receive overall attention and systematic research. The Yan’an revolutionaries, represented by Mao Zedong and the Huai’an poets, closely combined their creation of poetry with the fate of the times, the nation and the people, so that the early “Yan’an odes” became the “steel and calcium” in Anti-Japanese Aggression War literature and even the whole of modern literature, inspiring the whole world right up to the present. The poetry creation of Yan’an revolutionaries not only respected the lyric tradition of Chinese classical literature, that is, simplicity, elegance and conciseness, but also absorbed the free character of the May 4th literature and integrated the grand narrative of heroism. The artistic innovation of “putting new wine in old bottles” not only promoted the modern transformation of the classical lyric tradition, but also guided the constant development of modern literature towards massification and popularization. It brings important enlightenment to the current exploration of poetic art: contemporary poetry creation cannot be separated from the artistic tradition of classical poetry, nor can it rely on “horizontal transplantation” alone to open up the poetic road. The only correct way forward for poetry creation in the New Era is to adhere to a creative position oriented toward the people, stick strictly to the times and the masses, and realize the dialectical unity of practice and artistry.