Odes of this coastal city were given impetus by polities, scenery and the musical sound of the local dialect. The poetry club idea was exported and helped combat Japanese in Taiwan.
Foochow is an ancient city on the southeastern coast of China. The river Min flows past Nantai, a suburb and commercial port, to reach the sea. Its course is a succession of picturesque gorges and numerous rapids. The scenery is compared to that of some parts of Switzerland. Such a natural environment has provided inspiration for outstanding poetry. In one period we find as many as ten poetic geniuses in the city.
Poetry was given impetus by (1) politics, (2) scenery and (3) an agreeable dialectical pronunciation. Ancestors of the people came mainly from the hinterlands of Changan. They sailed down the Yangtze to the coast, southward and then up the Min. Settling down in Foochow, they preserved the pronunciation of Changan, which made the sound of poems resemble the music of T'ang. Their interest in rhythm was strong. Perhaps above all, they wrote and recited poetry constantly-at home and in public. They met often in groups of from 10 to 100. These meetings were held in temples and guild halls with up to 10,000 or more in the audience.
Poets were asked to write chueh chu, a stanza of four lines, or che chili, a stanza of two lines. If time was sufficient, it was four lines. The two-liners were easy as snapping a twig. Chueh chu subjects were selected by mutual consent. For the che chih, two characters were chosen — that is to say, one word for each line. Participants might write two or three chueh chu and three or four che chih within a time limit of an hour or less. The end of the limit for chueh chu was announced by striking an earthenware basin. A little bell was rung in case of che chili. Poems were collected and reproduced. Each member of the group had a copy and judged its merits. Results were announced in ascending order, like the beauty contests of today. Then came the time for recitation. Westerners recite their own poems. In China it is different. The poet recites someone else's work. A good reader might go on and on by universal acclaim.
Such poetry meetings were in progress almost everywhere in Foochow. Even children were taught to write verses. Poetry associations were open to all without class distinction. Mandarins sat with schoolteachers, dentists, tradesmen, soldiers and carpenters. Verse writing was the only qualification.
In the northern section of the city, Lady Chiu Wen-fang, a distinguished poetess, had a fine house with a large garden and long blue pond lined with trees and flowers. There were small stone tables and benches. Poetry meetings drew many people. Lady Chiu's poetry became famous when she was still in her teens. Her verse on love described the Upper Yapgtze gorge quite well in four lines that were recited by many. Among her couplets, one described a parrot in the first line and cherry blossoms in the second. The butterfly parties of Foochow reached a high point in Lady Chiu's garden.
The history of poetry meetings goes back to the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty. Hsieh Koa, a great scholar of Fukien, joined with Wu Wei and others to organize a semi-secret club known as the Moon and Spring Chanting Society. It enlisted more than 160 members who submitted verses to Wu Wei, Hsieh Kao and others for criticism. Real names were not used, probably because of politics. The subject matter included historical events, love and the environment. Even four lines could convey political propaganda or comment.
Later, in Manchu times, poetry meetings came to prefer couplets. Chen Tsin-yuan, a poet himself, said couplets offered no subject matter difficulties, no limitations of rhythm, less chance of involvement in politics and the requirement of exceptional skill. Lin Tse-hsu, Shen Pao-chen and others were sponsors of Foochow poetry meetings before serving at court. Lin Tse-hsu became a hero of the Opium War and Shen Pao-chen became governor of Taiwan. Their couplets attracted many followers. The poetry of Foochow took high rank in China. The Foochow couplet became known as the "poem bell" because the idea of striking a bell became popular at readings. Shen Pao-chen became leader of the movement. Less than three years after he was appointed tutor of the Manchu emperor, the Ch'ing Dynasty was swept away by the National Revolution. At a poetry meeting, Shen wrote this couplet:
The fading greens of the autumn's end seem still to be lingering.
The old cock feels the dawn but has no voice to herald it.
Shen's technique in quatrain writing was unrivaled in those days.
Poetry was the Foochow recreation. Great recitals occasionally took place in the city or its suburbs. Key words were announced weeks before hand in papers sold for a small sum. If the characters were easy, thousands of papers would be sold. At least two principal judges were selected from among the most learned scholars. Prizes were paid for out of the fund raised from the sale of poetry papers.
The great recitation was held in a guild hall or theater. Judges sat in the balcony. Prizes were assembled on the stage. The hall was full, with standing room only for late arrivals. Tea, fruits and other snacks were peddled outside the building.
Recitations started early in the morning and everyone was expected to listen attentively. Judges became actors or had someone with a fine voice take their places. Judges or surrogates read one couplet each in turn and the process took many hours. The best poems were read about midnight. By this time the audience was deadly quiet. The recitations were slow and clear. Winners were not announced until dawn was near. Applause was prolonged and exploding firecrackers provided accompaniment. Just before the Communist usurpation, the poetry recitation marking the 93rd birthday of Admiral Sa Chen-ping lasted for two days and nights. One winning couplet went like this:
A wheel revolving in the sky for endless years is still the moon.
Just as a mat rolled up on the land is perhaps the faraway clouds.
The poetry of Foochow spread to other places on the mainland and crossed the Taiwan Straits to Woofung and Taipei. Poetry clubs were established as a means of combatting Japanese imperialism. They succeeded quite well.