Huang Zunxian

Huang Zunxian was a prominent poet and diplomat of the late Qing dynasty. He was born in Yuyao, Zhejiang province, to a wealthy merchant family. His father was a scholar-official who died in prison after opposing the powerful eunuch Wei Zhongxian. Huang passed the civil service examination and became a juren in 1877. He was appointed as a counsellor to the Chinese embassy in Tokyo, Japan, where he studied the political and social reforms of the Meiji Restoration. He wrote a book titled Treatises on Japan, which impressed the Guangxu Emperor and influenced his decision to launch the Hundred Days' Reform in 1898. Huang also served as a diplomat in London, England, and San Francisco, USA, where he advocated for the rights and interests of the Chinese overseas. He returned to China in 1894 and participated in the reform movement led by Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao. He was arrested and exiled after the failure of the reform, but was later pardoned and allowed to return to his hometown. He died there in 1905 at the age of 56. Huang was also a prolific and innovative poet who wrote more than a hundred poems. He broke away from the rigid rules and conventions of classical poetry and created a new style that was more expressive, flexible, and realistic. He wrote about his observations and experiences in different countries, as well as his political views and aspirations for China. He also experimented with different forms and genres, such as ballads, songs, and epigrams. He is considered one of the pioneers of modern Chinese poetry and a forerunner of the New Culture Movement. ¹²