Tu An: Portrait of a poet and translator

Recently, the TV show Chinese Poetry Competition has drawn widespread attention and promoted the country's passion for learning poetry. Tu speaks highly of the show as it calls for the promotion of poetry and immerses the public in the spirit of verse. When asked how long he thinks this zest would last, Tu answers with much optimism. "For any era or cause, there will be rises and falls. Nothing will only rise and not fall. Even if this round of 'passion for poetry' will disappear, and yet would come back in time. Don't be disappointed, and never ever be desperate."

Thanks to the TV show that shows people "reciting poetry is cool," young parents start to shepherd their offspring into poetry recitation, which quickly became a hot topic for discussion in the education circle. Tu argues that if a child doesn't hate reciting poems, it won't hurt to let him do just that. Even if he doesn't understand what the words mean, it's OK. The poems -- "I heard that night of wind and rain, but I know not how many flowers fell on the lane" -- may be something that children won't grasp, not able probably to relate to that kind of mood. It doesn't matter. If he or she is willing to recite the lines, provide tuition for understanding. It will come some day for comprehension grows with time. And as long as those lines stay in the back of the brain, they will come back some day and the true meaning understood.

Tu thinks that everyone has a poem in them. "Even if you're just a normal guy and you don't know the first thing about writing poems, as long as you are an actual person, you have a poem in you -- spirit, thoughts, aspirations, recognitions. Even if you don't feel it and nobody knows it, the poem in you will influence you without you knowing it."