Qingyang Bai

I attempt to understand two broad questions about Misty Poetry and the literary ‘atmosphere’ that surrounded it. First, by scrutinising both the content of the poems and the historical context behind their popularisation, I aim to determine the reasons behind the young generations’ choice of this particular genre of poetry as their language after the Cultural Revolution. This study seeks to uncover what informed the emergence of Misty Poetry in late 1970s and 1980s China, and the social, cultural, and emotional mechanisms through which these literary works achieved such popularity. Second, upon understanding that the current mainstream historical interpretation of 1980s China’s literary scenes is selected, written, and narrated by scholars who participated in the Misty Poetry movement, we examine how they incorporate Misty Poetry into modern Chinese literary history and the ways in which their chosen narrative impacts the cultural, political, and emotional spheres of contemporary China.