Exclusive interview with Zhang Xiaofeng

At 17:00 yesterday, the famous Taiwanese writer and poet Zhang Xiaofeng set foot on Gulangyu Island. She said that she and two other female poets came to participate in the 2007 Gulangyu Poetry Festival on behalf of Xi Murong and other Taiwanese female poets. Reporter: The theme of this poetry festival is "Women and Poetry." As a female poet with decades of poetry experience, what impact does your female identity have on writing poetry?

Zhang Xiaofeng: Women have a natural advantage in language. Women are more willing to use language. For example, they like to chat with people and are good at expressing feelings in language, which is very helpful for writing poems. But today's young women don't like to use words. They can't even say words like "Yeah" lazily. They prefer to use visuals, such as staring at computers or TVs for a long time, and the language of TVs is very poor. . In fact, frequent use of language is very helpful for writing poetry.

Reporter: Poetry writing is often restricted by age, but you are still writing poetry. How do you maintain your ageless creativity?

Zhang Xiaofeng: I think poetry can be written for a lifetime, and I have been writing. To maintain the ability to write poetry, there are two things to do. One is to have something to say and observe things with concentration. The other is to have the ability to express yourself in language. You must string together experiences in an instant and draw conclusions quickly. . Reporter: Lin Yutang once lived on the island below you, and the Liao family villa is not far from you. As a member of the management committee of Lin Yutang's former residence in Taipei, how do you commemorate this literary master?

Zhang Xiaofeng: In addition to the discussion of Lin Yutang's literary works, we start from more details to let everyone truly experience Lin Yutang. For example, in order to experience Lin Yutang's peaceful life in Zhangzhou when he was a child, we organized a Qingming Festival At the cake-making party (moon-cakes are spring rolls, reporter’s note), everyone makes the rolls together. Later, we specially sent people to Zhangzhou to learn about several ways to make moist cakes, and introduced them to everyone when we returned to Taiwan.

Reporter: From your perspective, what is the most precious spiritual wealth that this literary master left us?

Zhang Xiaofeng: Humor! His humor was lonely in that environment and seemed inappropriate at the time. In fact, in my opinion, the more difficult the situation, the more humor should be used. During World War II, when Churchill was the leader of the Allied Forces, he said: "Until the hotel is closed, I just left." It means to withdraw only after failure. You see, his humor keeps you from getting discouraged when you fail. People should not always be in a state of tension, as this is very detrimental to both creation and life. Reporter: Looking at your life experience, there is always a sense of wandering. I heard that you were born during the migration during the Anti-Japanese War. Can you tell us about your experience before arriving in Taiwan?

Zhang Xiaofeng: My ancestral home is Xuzhou, Jiangsu, and my birthplace is Jinhua, Zhejiang. Indeed, I was born on a migration journey during the Anti-Japanese War. I had no impression of Jinhua since I was just born. But later I learned that Jinhua was where Li Qingzhao lived, so I felt very honored that Li Qingzhao and I were in the same city. I like Li Qingzhao's poetry very much, and this is probably a kind of fate. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, our family moved to Chongqing. I actually have no impression of Chongqing because I was too young at the time. The first city that really impressed me was Nanjing. I can't forget this city for many years, until now. Xiamen still feels like home in Taiwan. There are no differences in food, accommodation, and transportation. It’s very friendly.

Reporter: But what your words make me feel is not the vicissitudes of life but calmness. Is it the existence of your hometown and words that give you a sense of belonging?

Zhang Xiaofeng: I have a fate of wandering, but unexpectedly I survived on a small island for a long time. My body grew up in Taiwan, but my heart seems to be connected with history. China Connection, whether it is Nanjing or Xi'an, I feel that it is a hometown in my heart. It seems that literary ancestors such as Li Bai, Du Fu, and Li Shangyin will run out to meet you at any time, so they can connect with the tradition not geographically but spiritually.