Synthesis of traditional and new in the works of Chinese poet Hai Zi based on the image of grain

Abstract

For a long period, the development of Chinese literature is characterized by the continuity of artistic tradition. Chinese poetry of the reform and opening-up era draws profound interest, as it reflects the transformations of modern age and worldview in the Chinese society. This article is dedicated to examination of the traditional images of Chinese literature in the lyrics of prominent Chinese poet of the late XX century Hai Zi (1964–1989). Since old days, the image of grain resembles the world of nature, fertility, cyclicity of life, symbol of ethno-poetic traditions associated with the motif of hard peasant labor. A remarkable representative of the Chinese poetry of “new generation”, whose works embody the spiritual pursuits of the era, is the poet Hai Zi. Along with the traditional motifs and images, he integrates the elements of the original concept. This article is first within the Russian Sinology to analyze the system of artistic images in the lyrics of Hai Zi. The conclusion is made that the artistic uniqueness of the works of Chinese poet, this image acquires the individual authorial content – the bearer of creative energy and active principle, the link between the world of nature and a human.