Poet's verses explore nature and time

A new collection of poetry, Ting Feng Du Xue (listening to the wind, reading the snow) by Yi ethnic poet Long Feiyu, was recently published by Guangxi Normal University Press.

A collection of more than 100 poems, the book is divided into five parts: Whispers of Wind and Tales of Snow, Book of Time, Flowers as Go-between, Voices from Afar, and Traces of Time.

Using wind and snow as its core themes, the book constructs a poetic labyrinth that integrates philosophical thinking on nature, life experiences and a spiritual return home. With a delicate, sensitive touch, Long explores the nature of life and time amid wind, snow, moonlight, mountains, rivers, grass, and trees. His poetry offers a tender gaze upon the land and its people, while also persistently seeking a spiritual homeland. It carries forward the profound rhythms of Yi ethnic culture and resonates with the universal echoes of the contemporary soul.

Born in 1984 in Liuzhi, Guizhou province, Long is both a road and bridge engineer and the first Party secretary stationed in a village for rural vitalization.

His poetry stands out for its clarity, vividness, and emotional depth, reflecting his unique style and life experiences, says Cao Yuxiang, vice-president of the Poetry Institute of China.

"His poems often convey a persistent warmth, a vast youthful backdrop, and a bright, simple essence of life. … His work is not only a memoir of his inner world but also a heartfelt tribute to life," he adds.

Commenting on his work, Gong Gang, director of the Research Centre for Humanities in South China with the University of Macao, says, "Long Feiyu's poetry is rooted in the soil and everyday life on one hand, while on the other, it seeks the poetry of distant horizons. Influenced by Neo-Hsinglingism, his poetic style is rich and dynamic, marking him as an outstanding young poet."

Neo-Hsinglingism is a contemporary Chinese poetic and creative movement proposed and practiced by Gong after 2010. It inherits traditional Chinese soul-and-spirit aesthetics and blends modern philosophical thinking and Western poetic concepts. It advocates sincere personal feelings, instant insight and refined language, rejecting superficial writing and rigid formal restrictions.