Peking University, Mar. 24, 2011: Sponsored by the Modern Chinese Poetry Research Institute at Peking University (PKU), the Seminar on the Modern Chinese Free Verse: A Selected Collection was held at PKU from March 19 to 20. Nearly fifty journalists and poets attended the seminar to discuss the problems appear in the book's compilation and publication.

Professor Xie Mian  from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at PKU, the detector of the Modern Chinese Poetry Research Institute, said that it was a dream coming true to publish the Modern Chinese Free Verse: A Selected Collection in his speech. Because the book's publication realizes an early-year poem dream of Mr. Sun Yushi, Mr. Hong Zicheng as well as himself, which has lasted for nearly half a century. He also expressed his sincere gratitude towards the related units for their supports in the publication of this book.

The attended scholars made extensive and in-depth discussions on how to review and summarize the hundred-year history of the modern Chinese free verses as well as many related academic problems. They expressed their opinions on the topics of the principle of the book's compilation, the selection criteria of the poets and poems, the value and significant of a good poem in establishing the historical image of modern Chinese free verses, the guiding ideology of the compilation, and the shortcomings of the book.

In the summarizing speech, Professor Sun Yushi affirmed the scholars' effects in compiling the book. He expressed that the seminar would be conducive to inspire the researching interests on the modern Chinese free verses and might generate more creative and fresh thoughts. He was also looking forward to gain more research achievements on the modern Chinese free verses through the book's publication as well as this seminar.

Translated by: Li Nuoya
Edited by: Su Juan
Source: PKU News (Chinese)