◎From New Culture Movement to Counter-Japanese War...
Since the Republican period,Baoding,as the capital of Zhili Province,has witnessed the vigorous development of the New Culture Movement,especially after the May Fourth Movement,when many writers with new ideas emerged.For example,Feng Zhi,a native of Zhuoxian County,Baoding (present-day Zhuozhou City),published poetry anthologies like Songs of Yesterday,most of which are short lyric poems.He was called“the most outstanding lyric poet of China”by Lu Xun.
After the establishment of the Counter-Japanese Base Area in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Border Region,groups of young cultural workers rushed there.Poetry creation was a bunch of flowers blooming early in the cultural garden of that region.Poets represented by Tian Jian,Shao Zinan,Qian Danhui,Wei Wei and Fang Bing emerged in the border region.Their poems fully embodied popularity and combativeness,featuring a strong breath of life,spirit of the times,and revolutionary passion.The creation of short stories,novellas and wallpaper novels was also prosperous,especially before and after the victory of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression,when the novel creation in the border region entered a booming period.Outstanding works such as Sun Li’s Lotus Lake and Shao Zinan’s Mine Array came out one after another,all having a far-reaching influence.