Professor Zheng Shouyu Wins Global Life Literature Creation Award In his 2011 work, “The Robe of Peace,” Zheng Shouyu explores the themes of writing poetry for others, writing poetry for the soul, writing poetry for art, writing poetry for the spirit of the nation, writing poetry for China, and writing poetry for peace. This renowned poet captivates readers with his profound insights. President Li Jin-zhen of Jinmen University stated that Zheng Chouyu, who has made Jinmen his home, has composed a hymn of peace—inspiring the establishment of Jinmen University Island and promoting cross-strait cultural and educational exchange platforms. Every moment is a race against time, showcasing the poet's innate destiny. He is akin to Li Bai and Du Fu reincarnated, truly deserving the title of “chivalrous poet” and the “2011 Global Life Literature Creation Award.”
 
    Zheng Chouyu, whose given name is Zheng Wentao, was born in Jinan in 1933. His ancestral home was in Zhili Province, but his distant ancestors migrated to Fujian and Taiwan. He came from a military family that held hereditary military titles during the late Ming and Qing dynasties. He holds a BA from National Taiwan University, an MFA from the University of Iowa's English Department, and a Litt.D. from the World Academy of Chinese Arts and Culture (WACA). In 1967, he was invited to participate in the Iowa Writers' Workshop (IWP) as the first Taiwanese writer and subsequently taught at the University of Iowa and Yale University. He was the founding professor of the Chinese language program at Trinity College in Connecticut and the founding director of the Chinese language program at Choate Rosemary Hall, a renowned “college preparatory school.”
 
    In 2004, he was awarded the title of Yale University Professor Emeritus and appointed as the university's poet-in-residence and a lifetime fellow of Branford College. Recently, he has been appointed as an honorary professor at the University of Hong Kong, as well as an honorary visiting professor at Kinmen University and Tsinghua University.
 
    Zheng Chouyu has published 20 poetry collections, including Zheng Chouyu Poetry Collection I, which has been printed in over 200 editions and was selected as one of the “30 Most Influential Books in Taiwan Over the Past 30 Years,” the only poetry collection to receive this honor. His works were also selected as a classic of 20th-century new literature with the highest number of votes. In a survey conducted by Literary News Monthly, he was voted the most popular supplement writer (with the highest number of votes).
 
    Zheng Chouyu's masterpiece The Lonely Man Sits and Watches Flowers won the National Arts Award; he has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in Literature by the University of Hong Kong, Ocean University of China (Qingdao), and numerous other organizations both domestically and internationally; he received the Yuan Ze University Laureate Poet Award and the China Arts Association Medal, among others. His works have been included in official Chinese language textbooks in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and mainland China. In Taiwan, he served as executive director of the Youth Writers Association and editor-in-chief of United Literature.
 
Poetry Celebrates Peace, Reaches Out to the World
    Living in Kinmen and reaching out to the world, Zheng Shouyu brought Kinmen's wine and culture abroad in his first year of residence in Kinmen, leading the Kinmen Cultural Affairs Bureau team to secure a “Kinmen Poetry and Wine Culture Night” at the International Literature Festival in Berlin, Germany. At the event, he personally recited five poems he wrote for Kinmen: “Kinmen Collection,” “Drinking Wine in Kinmen,” “Fireworks Are the Daughters of War,” “The 823 Salute,” and “The Children's Song of Dàdǎn Island.”
 
    This allowed Berlin, which shares Kinmen's status as a remnant of the Cold War, to hear and see Kinmen.
 
    Additionally, during his travels and lectures in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, China, and the United States, Zheng Chouyu always introduced Kinmen to his friends around the world. He explained that Kinmen is one of the central hubs of the Min Nan overseas Chinese community. Due to its geographical location and political factors, Kinmen is not only an island of overseas Chinese but also an island of nostalgia leading back to their homeland.
 
    Kinmen is also a cultural “treasure island.” By embracing and developing it, Kinmen will undoubtedly become a unique island of knowledge, emotion, and creativity and a place where music, academia, sports, and the finest wines and flowers serve the soul.
 
    While in Kinmen, Zheng Chouyu, whose poetic soul accompanies the ocean, remained true to his poetic calling even after settling there. His poems, such as “Drinking Wine in Kinmen,” “Fireworks Are the Daughters of War,” “The Children's Song of Dàndǎn Island,” “Fort, Wind, Flag, You,” “Bridge,” “Triangular Waves,” and “The Warrior's Dream.”
 
    He also composed the school song for Kinmen University, transforming the traditional ceremonial style of “Plowing the red earth to plant ten thousand trees, the world is my Kinmen University” into a lyrical version: “Ah! Kinmen University! A bridge across the strait, and again, ah! A hometown of overseas Chinese with Fujianese architecture and a global flair.”
 
    His poetry evokes tender, serene beauty and majestic, vast landscapes, with meticulous language and harmonious sounds, best highlighting the profound and subtle beauty of Chinese poetry. Poet Yang Mu believed that the “Zheng Chouyu phenomenon” caused a huge and indelible stir and influence.
 
    Now, Zheng Chouyu, who has returned to the Wujiang River, passes down the “mantle of peace” through his poetry, continuing the Zheng Chouyu legend.
 
Returning to the Wujiang River, Settling in Kinmen
    “Returning to the Wujiang River, Settling in Kinmen,” On June 24, 2005, after residing in the United States for 37 years and teaching at Yale University, the internationally renowned poet Zheng Chouyu, accompanied by his wife, the vocalist Yu Meifang, relocated his household registration to Kinmen, formerly known as “Wujiang” and Wujiang Island. This attracted a large number of media outlets for interviews. When asked by a journalist, “Are you a returnee or a passerby?” he responded firmly, “I am a returnee!”
 
    In response to his feelings upon arriving on Kinmen Island that day, he accepted an appointment as a visiting professor at National Kinmen Institute of Technology (now National Kinmen University), expressing his intention to settle permanently on the island.
 
    In 1954, at the age of 21, Zheng Chouyu wrote “Small Town Series,” one of which, “Mistake,” includes the lines: “The clopping of my horse's hooves is a beautiful mistake. / I am not a returnee, but a passerby....” These lines have been widely recited for over half a century, along with works like ”Farewell," which deeply evoke a sense of homeland and exile, earning them recognition as one of the most profound and far-reaching influences in modern poetry.
 
    Born in Jinan, Shandong Province, in 1933, Zheng Chouyu discovered through genealogical research that his ancestral home was in Shijin, Nan'an County, Fujian Province, making him a direct descendant of Zheng Chenggong, the Prince of Yanping. Kinmen and Xiamen were once the sites of the Ming Zheng regime's “occupation of the two islands of Kinmen and Xiamen to resist the entire Ming army,” a place of both heroic ambition and tragic fate. This history deeply influenced Zheng Chouyu's sense of nation, family, and homeland, ultimately leading to his decision to “return to the Wujiang River and settle in Kinmen.”
 
    Because of Kinmen, the clopping of horses' hooves is no longer a beautiful mistake. By 2011, the wandering poet Zheng Chouyu had been settled in Kinmen for six years. From the United States to Kinmen, from Yale University to Kinmen University, his every move on the island remained the focal point of media attention, cross-strait relations, and the Chinese-speaking world: “Settling in Kinmen, Zheng Chouyu makes a poetic vow,” “Zheng Chouyu and his wife settle in Kinmen; the poet says his soul has returned home,” “Matsu, Penghu, Kinmen—the beautiful triangular waves. Zheng Chouyu promotes a cross-strait cultural platform” “Descendant of Zheng Chenggong, Zheng Chouyu exonerates pirates,” “Kinmen High-Level Forum: Zheng Chouyu urges Kinmen to transform into a university island,” “Zheng Chouyu Catalyzes the Creation of Kinmen University Island,” “The Soul of Poetry Accompanies the Ocean; Zheng Chouyu Takes His Hometown with Him.” Zheng Chouyu in Kinmen: The magazine ‘Tianxia’ even listed him as a “cultural landscape,” and the formation of this landscape is closely tied to Kinmen University.
 
    After settling in Kinmen, Zheng Chouyu accepted an appointment as a distinguished professor at National Kinmen University. He initially taught a course on humanities and social sciences at the General Education Center, focusing on “The Creative Trajectory of Modern Chinese Literature.” Later, he taught at the Min Nan Culture Research Institute, discussing Kinmen culture, and distributed his lecture notes, “The Robe of Peace: Zheng Chouyu's Lectures,” in class.
 
Fostering the “Kinmen University Island”
    While in Kinmen, he championed the concept of the “Kinmen University Island.” Zheng Chouyu hoped that the “Kinmen University Island” would attract students from Taiwan and mainland China to study there, enabling educational exchange between the two sides of the strait to converge in Kinmen and creating a platform for academic exchange with Kinmen's unique characteristics.
 
    From Kinmen, looking out at the island group, Zheng Chouyu is promoting the construction of the “Triangular Wave—Strait Cultural Platform.” He visited Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu in person and delivered a speech. He believes that these three islands, which experienced war, military rule, and missed out on Taiwan's economic boom, are all disadvantaged communities on both sides of the strait. Young people had no choice but to seek opportunities elsewhere. However, he wanted to emphasize that “these three islands are not places for manual labor; they are places with a high cultural heritage and historical responsibility.” The three islands must build confidence, not just toward the strait or China, but toward the world, to create a “second naturalism culture” and collectively unleash the cultural energy of the “triangular wave.”
 
Writing poetry for “One China”? — “The Robe of Peace” is the opportunity!
    3000 BC Ancient China → 1911 Xinhai Revolution → 1912 Republic of China → 2011 “The Robe”
 
    For the opportunity for peace to arrive—2011 Peace and Sustainability
 
    “China,” this unique name, perhaps needs to be further clarified: “China” has never been a country name or national title. It is a geographical designation for a civilized location and a historical symbol used to signify the authority of a vast empire. This abstract name has existed since ancient times.
 
    If we look at the brief mentions in ancient Han texts or infer from modern anthropological studies on the development of civilizations, the prehistoric Tang, Yu, and Xia periods lack direct written records. It was not until the Shang and Western Zhou dynasties (11th century BCE), when bronze inscriptions and historical records became available, that written records began to emerge. During the spring and Autumn Period (551–479 BCE), Confucius lived. The term “China” first appeared in the “Zhongyong” chapter of the “Liji,” where its meaning was an attempt to combine the “material civilization of boats and chariots” with the “spiritual civilization of ethics and virtue” to “extend civilized teachings to the barbarian tribes.”
 
    In the “Zicai” chapter of the “Shangshu,” ‘China’ carries a mythical connotation: “The Heavenly Emperor has entrusted the people of China with the land beyond its borders...” it also appears in ancient texts such as the “Book of Songs” and the “Han Feizi,” with the same connotations. It can be said that “China” is comparable to terms like “Central Plains,” “Central Land,” and “Central Xia.” In the central part of the Asian continent, east of the Pamir Mountains and extending to the sea, this land with two major river basins has been the ideal civilizational center revered by all political regimes over the past three thousand years. From the Qin Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, every dynasty had its own national title, each with its own origins and reasons, and all claimed to be the civilized and virtuous “China” that had inherited the mandate of heaven. Therefore, in historical records, there is also the implied meaning of the “first virtuous nation” or the capital. During the Three Kingdoms period, the Wei, Shu, and Wu states, as well as the Two Jin Dynasties and the late Tang and Song Dynasties, all the regimes across the country were eager to adopt such a self-designation.
 
    In 1911, the Nationalist Revolution overthrew the Qing Dynasty. The revolutionaries decided to adopt the term “Zhonghua” (China) from Sun Yat-sen's 1905 “Treaty of the Chinese Alliance” in Tokyo, which quoted Zhu Yuanzhang's proclamation against the Mongols: “Drive out the barbarians and restore China.” This term replaced “Qing” as the new national name.
 
    Zhang Taiyan, a distinguished scholar who resided in Taiwan during the Japanese occupation, also advocated the use of the character “hua” (meaning “China”), which has multiple meanings and a solemn yet magnificent form, as the core of the national name. He supported combining the “zhong” from ancient civilized China with the “hua” from the highly civilized Huaxia ethnic group to form the national name “Zhonghua.”
 
    On January 1, 1912, the revolutionaries established the nation, with the full national name being Republic of China.” “Republic” refers to the form of government. The term “republic” was chosen over “republican,” as Sun Yat-sen explained, “A republic is a country directly governed by the people,” not the Western concept of a republic originating from ancient Greece, which was established by a parliamentary assembly of the citizen class, nor does it simply refer to a political system opposed to monarchy.
 
    This has no connection to the republican system that emerged in France after the First French Republic in the 18th century, which was followed by two periods of monarchy and several dynastic restorations. France has since established its Fifth Republic. Therefore, the term “Republic of China” aptly captures the multiple meanings of the Chinese state system, while the government is abbreviated as the “Nationalist Government” or “National Government.”
 
    The 21st century is a leap forward in human history, but it may also be a time of destruction. Therefore, peace is of paramount importance for the future of humanity. For China, it is an even more vital revelation for survival and prosperity. Fortunately, the era of authoritarian rule is nearing its end, and the Chinese people have developed an intense longing for peace after a century of turmoil. We are certain that this is an unprecedented moment that will become the opportunity to lead the Chinese nation out of war and suffering. However, what is the essence of this “opportunity”?
 
    The answer: It remains the three banners that have fluttered in the wind for a century: nationality, civil rights, and livelihood. This is the “Robes and Bowl” banner... However, these three great banners must be tied to the flagpole of Chinese civilization. They must be firmly held by the Chinese people (all political parties), who must join hands and move forward, grasping this unprecedented moment when the mission of the three great banners can truly be fulfilled. This is where the opportunity for peace lies.
 
    The Opportunity for the Nation: Reaffirming and affirming the concept of “One China”—we must truly be grateful to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors for establishing the concept of China on the Central Plains with a civilization surpassing that of the Nine Provinces. Because its nature is national, its essence is ethical, and its style is cultural, it transcends political power and dynastic succession—equating this concept with the rise and fall of the nation is the only platform for peace; there is no alternative!
 
    The current meaning of the nation, due to the advancement of civil rights, has naturally transcended the pursuit of “equality among all ethnic groups within the country.” Since 1842, the Chinese nation has suffered humiliation and exploitation at the hands of capitalist imperialist powers. It is clear that the Chinese nation must first unite and grow strong, with sufficient political, economic, cultural, and military capabilities to stand on its own and send a signal to the world. Only then, after weighing the costs and benefits, can the peaceful ideal of “equality among all nations of the world” be realized.
 
    The opportunity for civil rights: Agree on “a constitution of human rights that embodies the ultimate truth, goodness, and beauty of humanity.”
 
    Every citizen shall have the following basic rights: freedom of expression, freedom of belief, and freedom of choice.
 
    Every citizen shall have the following inherent rights: dignity, equality, sexual orientation, and privacy.
 
    Every citizen shall exercise the right to create their own life—diverse orientations without regard to ideology and the protection and encouragement of NGOs. With a constitution that ensures the equal exercise of every individual's rights and obligations, the resolution of ethnic issues will only require aligning cultural beauty and social harmony, enabling the entire nation to align with the universal values of all humanity.
 
    Opportunities for People's Livelihood: Achieving seamless economic cooperation across the Taiwan Strait is the inevitable path forward, a two-way process of mutual assistance, treating prosperity as a process, and encouraging the entire nation to gradually converge on policies aimed at eradicating poverty and achieving equitable wealth distribution. Only then can the content of civil rights be enriched, the goals of the nation made clear, and thus livelihood become the essence of the “Great Harmony” vision, the ideal of universal public good, and the driving force toward peace and unity. Economy and society are also the electoral strategies upon which Western democracy relies to establish political power.
 
    Opportunities for interaction: Enrich civil rights through livelihood policies → Consolidate the nation through civil rights and the rule of law → Achieve peace through mutual trust among the people. (Reverse the arrow) Build lasting peace and improve livelihoods → Implement livelihoods to achieve equal wealth. → Achieve the ultimate goal.
 
    The ultimate goal: this process continuously drives the tension between nationalism and civil rights. And the entire nation is striving for this ultimate livelihood! Livelihood is equitable wealth distribution; it is ‘regulating capital and equalizing land rights’!
 
Who is this preface written for? Is it written for peace?
    Zheng Shouyu (2009) In December, the Fuzhou literary and art circles held a “Strait Poetry Conference,” focusing on Zheng Shouyu's works for discussion and recitation. The host of the Taiwan-Hong Kong Literature Selection told Zheng Shouyu that they planned to stage “The Robe” but abandoned the idea because it was too long. Zheng Chouyu gladly agreed to recite three sections himself in the evening. During the day, Zheng Chouyu visited the former residence of Lin Jiemin and reread his “Farewell Letter to My Wife,” which was printed on the wall. The opening lines read, “I love you deeply. It is this love for you that gives me the courage to die.” These words alone were enough to break one's heart; when he read, “I die today with no regrets. Whether the national cause succeeds or fails, there will always be comrades who will carry it forward...” He felt a sense of righteousness emanating from the wall. This was the national spirit that had inspired Zheng Chouyu to write “The Robe” years ago.
 
    In the evening, Zheng Chouyu began his speech on stage with the words: “Lin Jiemin, the martyr, died at the age of 24. At 24, one can achieve immortality. I stand here today as an old man who has lived 50 years longer. This is but a fleeting moment. To live longer is to live in vain, to waste food. I truly have no face to show.” I also mentioned paying homage to the martyrs of the Xinhai Revolution at Mazu. In the small county of Lianjiang, ten of the seventy-two martyrs buried at Huanghuagang were from there; their deeds are closely aligned with the emotions I have expressed in my poetry. This gives me the courage to recite the following short poem on stage, which can serve as a prelude to reading “The Robe.” Alas! Thus do martyrs enter eternity?
 
    The soul of the righteous poet Zheng Chouyu is one with the national spirit of China. How can he sing alone to pass on the mantle that moved him? Reciting the mantra is to commemorate the eternal life of the martyrs, to hope for the eternal stability of the nation, and to pray for the endless prosperity of the country: light the incense of the heart, pray for peace! Peace?
 
    That's right! The final cry of the founding father: “Peace, struggle, save China!” Yet without the love of the national soul, there can be no possibility of national peace! This has resolved me to reprint this long poem, “The Mantra,” once more. Before reprinting, I have excerpted several passages from Zheng Chouyu's original creative process for “The Mantra” as a preface, serving as this introduction.
 
    Oh! So this poem was written for “peace”!
 

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