Xu Zhimo’s life and achievements:

Xu Zhimo (January 15, 1897-November 19, 1931), formerly known as Zhang Qu, also named Qiansen, later changed to Zhimo, born on the 13th day of December in the 22nd year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, was born in Haining, Zhejiang Province. He is a famous modern poet and essayist of the Crescent School in China.

He is also the cousin of the famous martial arts novelist Jin Yong. In 1921, he began to write new poems. After returning to the country in 1922, he published a large number of poems and essays in newspapers and periodicals. In 1923, he participated in the establishment of the Crescent Society and joined the Literary Research Association.

In 1924, he founded the weekly "Modern Poetry Review" with Hu Shi, Chen Xiying and others, and served as a professor at Peking University. The great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore served as translator when he visited China. In 1925, he went to Europe and traveled to the Soviet Union, Germany, Italy, France and other countries.

In 1926, he edited the supplement "Poetry" of "Morning News" in Beijing, and launched the new poetry metrical movement with Wen Yiduo, Zhu Xiang and others, which affected the development of new poetry art. In the same year, he moved to Shanghai and served as professor at Guanghua University, Daxia University and Nanjing Central University.

In 1927, he participated in the founding of Crescent Bookstore. The following year, the monthly magazine "Crescent Moon" was founded and he became the editor-in-chief. He also traveled abroad to Britain, the United States, Japan, India and other countries. In 1930, he served as a member of the Chinese Cultural Fund Committee and was elected as a member of the British Poetry Society.

In the winter of the same year, he taught at Peking University and Beijing Women's University. In early 1931, he co-founded the quarterly "Poetry" with Chen Mengjia and Fang Weide, and was elected as a director of the Chinese branch of PEN. On November 19 of the same year, he was flying from Nanjing to Peiping. The plane crashed due to heavy fog and hit the mountains near Jinan, and he died.

Extended information:

Writing characteristics:

Xu’s poems have fresh words, harmonious rhymes, novel metaphors, rich imagination, beautiful artistic conception, elegant thoughts, and rich content. Change, and pursue the neatness and beauty of the art form, with a distinctive artistic personality.

His prose is also of its own style and has achieved as much achievement as poetry, including "Autopsy", "Want to Fly", "The Cambridge I Know", "Gossips at Feilengcui Mountain" " and so on are all famous works passed down from generation to generation.

People always associate Xu Zhimo and his creations with the Crescent Sect, identifying him as the representative writer of the Crescent Sect and calling him the "leader" of the Crescent Sect.

This is because he had a close relationship with the Crescent Sect from its formation to its demise. He participated in the entire activities of the Crescent Sect, and his creations reflected the distinctive characteristics of the Crescent Sect.

It took about ten years from the establishment of the Crescent Society to the gradual formation of a literary school, the Crescent School, in which Xu Zhimo always played an important role.

Xu Zhimo’s story:

In 1925, Zhimo met the capital beauty Lu Xiaoman in Beijing. At that time, Lu Xiaoman was the wife of Wang Geng, one of Zhimo's friends. The marriage was sponsored by Xiaoman's parents. Xiaoman and Wang Geng's characters are incompatible with each other, and they have no feelings.

Wang Geng often has no time to take care of Xiaoman because of his busy schedule, so he often asks Zhimo to play with Xiaoman. In the beginning, Zhimo just stayed with Xiaoman as a friend and had no intention of doing anything wrong. He often studies poetry and literature with Xiaoman, and travels together.

At that time, Zhimo was in the pain of a broken relationship and urgently needed the nourishment of love. Xiaoman's talent attracted Zhimo, and he found comfort in Xiaoman. Xiaoman and Wang Geng have no feelings at all, and they also need love. In this way, this pair of fateful mandarin ducks developed feelings for each other as soon as they met.

Zhimo and Xiaoman, one is a married woman and the other is a married woman. Their parents and friends strongly opposed their relationship. The two of them pursued their love regardless of all resistance.

In 1925, Shima traveled to Europe. On his first trip to Europe, he wanted to visit the famous writer Rabindranath Tagore, but on the way he received news that Xiaoman was critically ill. He immediately returned to China. It turned out that Wang Geng decided to move to Shanghai, and he asked Xiao Man to accompany him.

Xiao Man is unwilling. The Shanghai side is heavily guarded, and it will be harder to see General Zhima in the future than to go to heaven. She had to pretend to be sick to delay. After Zhimo returned to China, Xiaoman couldn't resist the threats from his parents and had no choice but to move to Shanghai. Shima arrived soon after.

While in Shanghai, with the help of Zhimo's friends, Wang Geng agreed to divorce Xiao Man so that Xiao Man could regain her freedom. From then on, the relationship between Xiaoman and Zhimo developed by leaps and bounds, and they got married in 1926.

After marriage, with the support of Xiaoman, Zhimo's poetry output increased dramatically, and he published poetry collections such as "Zhimo's Poems", "A Night in Feilengcui" and "Collection of Tigers".

The two often talked about literature together at night. The two lived a happy life.

However, the good times did not last long. Soon Xiaoman returned to his previous luxurious style. She spent extravagantly and even took opium. Although Zhimo is a professor at two universities and earns a good salary, the supply still exceeds the demand. For this reason, Zhimo traveled around and his poetic talent dried up.

In 1931, Zhimo died during a flight, and Xiaoman realized his mistake. She decided to change her ways and quit opium. She began to write articles and translate foreign classics. In April 1965, Xiaoman died of illness.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Xu Zhimo