author
Ziqing Zhu
1898–1948
Best known for the much-loved essays "Retreating Figure" and "Moonlight over the Lotus Pond," this early 20th-century Chinese writer helped shape modern prose in everyday language. He was also a poet, scholar, and teacher whose work remains widely read for its quiet feeling and clarity.
1 Audiobook
歐遊雜記
by Ziqing Zhu
About the author
Born on November 22, 1898, Zhu Ziqing was a Chinese essayist, poet, scholar, and educator. He studied at Peking University and became associated with the cultural changes of the May Fourth era, a period that encouraged new writing in vernacular Chinese rather than older classical styles.
He is remembered above all for his essays, especially Retreating Figure and Moonlight over the Lotus Pond, which are often praised for their gentle emotion, careful observation, and graceful simplicity. Alongside essays, he also wrote poetry and taught literature, later serving at Tsinghua University.
Zhu Ziqing died on August 12, 1948. Though his life was relatively short, his writing has had lasting influence, and he is still regarded as one of the important voices in modern Chinese literature.