You once said, “Poet and hero do not share the same concept.” Why? Poet Bei Dao — the key figure of the “Misty”/”Obscure” poetry movement — wrote in his poem, “Declaration”: “I am no hero, / In an age without heroes / I just want to be a man,” whereas ancient Chinese poets seem to laud for the romantic image of a poet as the “hero,” a spiritual herald, a savior…

This depends on the context. Even if it is out of any context, in today’s Chinese society it is awkward to claim that “a poet is a hero.” This is because the concept of “hero” is a murky polysemy, even self-contradictory. In terms of implications, it is far from the essence and purity of a “poet.”

As a poet who speaks through poetry, have you ever felt constrained or restrained by poetry as a form of expression?

There is a context too when it comes to “a poet who speaks through poetry.” It does not mean in an absolute sense that I’d ever “felt constrained or restrained by poetry as a form of expression.” Rather it signifies my pure passion for poetry, and my preference not to participate in activities or exploring terrains that do not really interest me.

What is your environment for creation like?

I don’t have a fixed environment for creation. Every environment contains the possibility for writing. Sometimes I jot down lines in my cellphone; sometimes I write them on a notebook, a piece of scrap paper or in the margins of a newspaper; sometimes, I type them in a computer. Most of these lines do not make it into a poem, but this is a habit of mine. In most cases, I ponder over a poem for a long time, revising it continuously.

When a piece of writing is about to be completed, or when it is completed and needs to be tidied up on the computer, I occasionally choose some music, or most of the time, just stay quiet. Perhaps there might be voices or sounds from the surrounding environment, for instance, the sweet snores of a child, furniture being moved, someone washing his foot or sweeping the floor upstairs, a neighbor coughing, people yelling downstairs as they sharpen their knives, the wind suddenly pushing open a window… these mysterious sounds help sustain my writing.

What is your writing process or ritual?

Wait. Be automatic. And then throw myself totally into the work.

When not writing, I maintain a state of awareness, practice “non-slackness”: daydreaming, contemplation, distraction, tolerance, as well as reading texts, images, music, and intricate details from daily life… they all constitute the long process of a poem.

Seeking a unique linguistic feel is a core aesthetic of your poetry. How do you define a balance between an austere language and the complexity of an inner world in order to find a breakthrough and liberty in language?

The complexity of an inner world signifies capacity, speed and vivacity. It also comprises of disorderliness. For me, what’s most important when expressing something is to arrange and order, an order of freedom, a poetic logic. And writing needs to keep up with the ever-changing inner world, the ever-changing reality as best as it can. It needs to express an individual’s plight.

…writing needs to keep up with the ever-changing inner world, the ever-changing reality as best as it can. It needs to express an individual’s plight.

Originality and uniqueness, to me, are key qualities of a writer. They are especially precious. I consider the force of creativity as most vital in making art, and uniqueness is the shortcut that guides one’s creativity. Originality of course takes many forms and there are many different kinds of writers in the world expanding on the possibilities of art. Besides, originality and uniqueness require an independent judgment as to how to confront the world and our époque. It also requires writers not to be affected by any collective voice or power, asking instead for writers to respond in his/her style, and with his/her own authentic voice.

I write poetry in order to to set in language a human situation, so as to help people care about the world, life and destiny through language. This is why a coherent and unbreakable relationship between an individual and his/her immediate reality exists in my writing.