A Study Of Xu Zihua

The four most successful Nanshe female poets pointed out in Liu Yazi's Nan She Ji Lue included Lü Bicheng, Zhang Mojun, Xu Zihua and Xu Yunhua. Xu Zihua was a well-known poetess in Nan She, her multiple and complicated identities made her life and works unique and significant. She was not only a close friend of Qiu Jin, but also a member of the revolutionary force at that time. Moreover, she worked as a school principal and devoted her life in education.There are six chapters in this paper. The first chapter explores Xu Zihua's life and biography. The second chapter studies her works. Xu's works were included in a number of poetry collections, e.g. Ting Zhu Lou Shi Gao, Chan Hui Ci, Qiu Xin Lou Shi Ci, Xu Zhihua Ci Wen Ji, Xu Zhihua Ji. There are 284 shi style poems, 68 ci style poems, and 57 writings of different types still surviving. The themes of most of her poetry are related to traveling, seeing off friends, presenting compliments, patriotism and revolution. While her other writings tend to be practical, it mainly covers biography, prologue/postscript, letters, notices, and advertisements. Her works are a fusion of traditional poetry and contemporary moods, they tended to be written in a distressed and sorrowful tone.This paper studies Xu Zihua and her works by working out the background of her times. By comparing Xu Zihua with other female poets of her times or poetesses who came before or after her, this paper aims to analyse the style of Xu Zihua's works, the origins of her literature, her revolutionary mindset, and feminine consciousness.From a longitude approach, the third chapter draws a comparison between Xu Zihua and Li Qingzhao. Both Xu and Li shared some degree of similarity in their life story and tone/mood in their works. This chapter compares their lives and works to see how Xu adopted Li's writing style, e.g. Li's theory towards ci, Li's literary devices.Laterally, the fourth chapter compares Xu Zihua with other female poets of the same times, which include Qiu Jin and her sister Xu Yunhua. The former focuses on how Xu Zihua accepted Qiu Jin's revolutionary thoughts, and eventually devoted her mind and body in revolution. In the second part of this chapter, it compares Xu Zihua with her sister Xu Yunhua. Both of them grew up in the same family background, they shared some common in their writing styles, themes and contemporary moods in their works. The comparison helps people understand how Xu Zihua was shaped by her family background.Being born in a patriarchal society where women were exploited and did not enjoy much say, Xu Zihua made achievement not only in the literature domain, but also her job as a principal. Breaking the traditional bond, she left her family and even gave up parenting in order to make contribution to revolution. In the last chapter, it discusses Xu Zihua's individualism and her feminine consciousness.