Yu Dafu
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Yu Wen, better known by his
courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...
Yu Dafu (December 7, 1896 – September 17, 1945) was a modern Chinese short story writer and
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
. He was one of the new literary group initiators, and this new literary group was named the Creation Society. His literary masterpieces include ''Chenlun'' (沈淪, Sinking), ''Chunfeng chenzui de wanshang'' (春風沈醉的晚上, Intoxicating Spring Nights), ''Guoqu'' (過去, The Past), ''Chuben'' (出奔, Flight) and so on. Yu Dafu's literary works' writing style and main themes profoundly influenced a group of young writers and formed a spectacular romantic trend in Chinese literature in the 1920s and 1930s. He died in the Japanese-occupied Dutch East Indies, likely executed.


Early years

Yu was born in
Fuyang Fuyang (, previously romanized as Fowyang) is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Anhui province, China. It is bordered by Henan province to the west and the cities of Bozhou to the northeast, Huainan to the southeast, and Lu'an to the sou ...
,
Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...
province. His father died when he was three, leaving the family poverty-stricken and destitute. He received a number of scholarships through the Chinese government and went on to receive a traditional Chinese education in
Hangzhou Hangzhou, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...
. Chronologically he studied in Jiangxing Middle School (before he came to Hangzhou), Hangzhou Middle School, Hangchow Presbyterian College (育英学堂). In 1912, he entered Hangchow University (later its major part merged into
Zhejiang University Zhejiang University (ZJU) is a public university, public research university in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education (China), Ministry of Education. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and D ...
) preparatory through examination. He was there only for a short period before he was expelled for participation in a student strike. He then moved to Japan, where he studied
economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...
at the
Tokyo Imperial University The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public university, public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several Edo peri ...
between 1913 and 1922, where he met other Chinese intellectuals (namely,
Guo Moruo Guo Moruo (November 16, 1892 – June 12, 1978), courtesy name Dingtang, was a Chinese author, poet, historian, archaeologist, and government official. Biography Family history Guo Moruo, originally named Guo Kaizhen, was born on November 10 or ...
, Zhang Ziping, and
Tian Han Tian Han ( zh, 田汉; 12 March 1898 – 10 December 1968), formerly romanized as T'ien Han, was a Chinese drama activist, playwright, a leader of revolutionary music and films, as well as a translator and poet. He emerged at the time of the ...
). Together, in 1921 they founded the ''Chuangzao she'' (創造社, Creation Society), which promoted vernacular and modern literature. He published one of his earlier works, the short story ''Chenlun'' (沈淪, Sinking), his most famous, while still in Japan in 1921. "Sinking" reflects a problem, which is that both China and Japan were once powerful countries in Asia, but at that time, in contrast to Japan's successful national modernization, China has not successfully achieved national modernization. Yu Dafu was ashamed of this, and he used such a story to express a sense of national shame, but in fact, this story's background does not match the facts. The work had gained immense popularity in China, shocking the world of
Chinese literature The history of Chinese literature extends thousands of years, and begins with the earliest recorded inscriptions, court archives, building to the major works of philosophy and history written during the Axial Age. The Han dynasty, Han (202  ...
with its frank dealing with sex, as well as grievances directed at the incompetence of the Chinese government at the time. In 1922, he returned to China as a literary celebrity and worked as the editor of '' Creation Quarterly'', editing journals and writing short stories. In 1923, after an attack of
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
, Yu Dafu directed his attention to the welfare of the masses. In 1927, he worked as an editor of the ''Hongshui'' literary magazine. He later came in conflict with the
Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...
and fled back to Japan.


Second Sino-Japanese War

After the start of the
Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...
, he returned to China and worked as a writer of anti-Japanese
propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...
in
Hangzhou Hangzhou, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...
. From 1938 to 1942, he worked as a literary editor for the newspaper '' Sin Chew Jit Poh'' in
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
. In 1942 when the
Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
invaded Singapore, he was forced to flee to Pajakoemboeh,
Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
, Indonesia. Known under a different identity, he settled there among other
overseas Chinese Overseas Chinese people are Chinese people, people of Chinese origin who reside outside Greater China (mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan). As of 2011, there were over 40.3 million overseas Chinese. As of 2023, there were 10.5 milli ...
and began a brewery business with the help of the locals. Later he was forced to help the Japanese military police as an interpreter when it was discovered that he was one of the few "locals" in the area who could speak
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
. In 1945, he was arrested by the
Kempeitai The , , was the military police of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The organization also shared civilian secret police that specialized in clandestine and covert operation, counterinsurgency, counterintelligence, HUMINT, interrogated suspects ...
when his true identity was finally discovered. It is believed that the Japanese executed him shortly after the
surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was Hirohito surrender broadcast, announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on 2 September 1945, End of World War II in Asia, ending ...
.


Works

* ''Yín huīsè de sǐ'' 银灰色的死 ''A Silver-Grey Death'' (1921) *'' Chenlun'' 沈淪 ("Sinking", 1921) ("Drowning", in English, Sunny Lou Publishing, ISBN 978-1-95539-217-4, 2021) *''Chunfeng chenzui de wanshang'' 春風沈醉的晚上 ''Intoxicating Spring Nights'' (1924) *'' Nine Diaries'' 日記九種 (1927) *''Guoqu'' 過去 ''The Past'' (1927) *''Chuben'' 出奔 ''Flight'' (1935) *''Boundless Night'' (1922)


Writing style

Yu Dafu's literary works are principally
autobiographical An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...
in nature. There are many expressions with personal subjective colors in his works. He expresses his thoughts and feelings through the protagonist in the story. Moreover, the plot in the story is created based on his personal experience. Besides, his relationships with people around him are included in his works, such as his relationship with his mother and wife. It is precise because his works are derived from his own life that contemporary readers are very interested in his literary works. Yu Dafu's sentimentalism was born in the decadent social reality of the "May 4th Movement Era". "The decadent ethos once swept through the world under the banner of aestheticism, and caring about morality was seen as something incompatible with emancipating the mind and reflecting the truth, which was 'decadent art'." Yu Dafu had an emotional resonance with this. At this time, Yu Dafu's creations were filled with gloomy and depressing "end-of-the-century emotions", but Yu Dafu's "end-of-the-century emotions" were based on the premise of resisting negative reality. The story "Sinking" is considered one of the earliest psychological novels in modern Chinese novel history. At the same time, this story is viewed as a representative of
romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...
, which satisfies one of the main literature characteristics during the May Fourth period. The protagonist in the "Sinking" quotes from Chinese literature texts, like the verses of Wang Bo 王勃 (Poet of Tang Dynasty) and Huang Zhongze 黄仲则 (Poet of Qing Dynasty). Besides, the protagonist in the story not only quotes from Chinese literature texts, but he also quotes from Western literature texts, like the poems of
Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication '' Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's ...
(British poet) and
Heine Heine is both a surname and a given name of German origin. People with that name include: People with the surname * Albert Heine (1867–1949), German actor * Alice Heine (1858–1925), American-born princess of Monaco * Armand Heine (1818–1883) ...
(German poet). In the mid-1920s, Yu Dafu changed his writing style. His writing style changed from romantic
individualism Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote realizing one's goals and desires, valuing independence and self-reliance, and a ...
to
collectivism In sociology, a social organization is a pattern of relationships between and among individuals and groups. Characteristics of social organization can include qualities such as sexual composition, spatiotemporal cohesion, leadership, struct ...
, especially in new women's image expression. In the "Intoxicating Spring Nights", Yu Dafu described how a female factory worker regained her self-confidence in a difficult situation. He created an image of a
proletarian The proletariat (; ) is the social class of wage-earners, those members of a society whose possession of significant economic value is their labour power (their capacity to work). A member of such a class is a proletarian or a . Marxist philo ...
woman who can strengthen the protagonist.


Main themes

Yu Dafu's work is considered by leading scholars to be iconoclastic and controversial.C T Hsia 1999: A History of Modern Chinese Fiction


Sexuality

His characters, which supposedly reflect the author are "By turns voyeur, fetishist, homosexual, masochist, and kleptomaniac." The sexually repressed heroes cannot relate to women.


Loneliness

No matter whether the Chinese literature text or the Western literature text is cited in the "Sinking" short story, the same theme is expressed: loneliness. Yu Dafu believes this is a kind of thoughts and feelings that are not understood by other people. He used this melancholy state of mind to express the degeneration of the characters in the short story. At the same time, Yu Dafu laid the foundation for the criticism and self-reflection of Chinese international students' literature.


Transnationalism

The alleged '
decadence Decadence was a late-19th-century movement emphasizing the need for sensationalism, egocentricity, and bizarre, artificial, perverse, and exotic sensations and experiences. By extension, it may refer to a decline in art, literature, science, ...
' of Yu Dafu's works, whether in a pejorative or in an aesthetic sense (i.e.'Decadence' as an artistic movement) has been considered by Shih to be a sign of Yu Dafu's moral corruption.
Shu-Mei Shih Shu-mei Shih (; born April 1, 1961) is a Taiwanese-American literary theorist. She is Professor of Comparative Literature, Asian Languages and Cultures, and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles and was the presiden ...
2001, The Lure of the Modern: Writing Modernism in Semi-Colonial China, 1917-1937


References

* Encyclopædia Britannica 2005 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD, article- "Yü Ta-fu" *刘楠霞. “论郁达夫小说创作中感伤主义的语言风格.” 才智 11 (2012): 176–176. Print.


Further reading

* Lee, Leo. (1973). ''The Romantic Generation of Chinese Writers''. Harvard University Press. * Yu, Dafu. (1984). ''Nights of Spring Fever and Other Writings''. Beijing: Panda Books.


External links

* *


Portrait


Yu Dafu. A Portrait by Kong Kai Ming
at Portrait Gallery of Chinese Writers (Hong Kong Baptist University Library). {{DEFAULTSORT:Yu, Dafu 1896 births 1945 deaths Chinese expatriates in Japan Hangzhou High School alumni University of Tokyo alumni Zhejiang University alumni Writers from Hangzhou Poets from Zhejiang People executed by Japanese occupation forces 20th-century Chinese poets Chinese casualties of World War II Chinese male short story writers 20th-century Chinese short story writers Short story writers from Zhejiang