Xie Mian

Xie Mian was born in 1932 in Fuzhou, Fujian, with ancestral roots in Changle. He is a professor and doctoral supervisor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Peking University, as well as a scholar of contemporary Chinese literature, a theorist and critic of new poetry. His essay "In the Face of a New Rise" made him one of the representative figures of the "three rises" associated with Misty Poetry. He has served as director of the Peking University Institute of Chinese Poetry and is now its honorary director. Thirteen of his works are included here, spanning prose and miscellaneous writings, literary appreciation, modern poetry, and inspirational growth. They include prose such as Flowers, studies of new poetry such as A Brief History of Chinese New Poetry over a Century and New Poetry Review, and appreciation volumes such as Appreciation of Masterpieces of Modern and Contemporary Chinese Poetry. His writing combines scholarly rigor with the warmth of prose: while tracing the history of new poetry and evaluating landmark works, he also records travels and reflections on life in leisurely essays, exerting an influence on both contemporary poetry research and popular literary reading.