Yu Guangzhong

Who is Yu Guangzhong?

Yu Guangzhong is a Taiwanese writer, poet, educator, and critic.

He was born in Nanjing, China but fled with his family during the Japanese Army's invasion in World War II. After returning to Nanjing many years later, he again was forced to flee due to the Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War. Yu and his family fled to Taiwan via Hong Kong in 1950 with the Kuomintang Government. Yu entered the University of Nanking for English Major in 1947, and then transferred to Xiamen University. He enrolled at National Taiwan University and was one of the first students to graduate with a degree in foreign languages. He also holds a master of fine arts degree from the University of Iowa.

After graduation, he began his career as a university teacher in 1956. He is Professor Emeritus at National Sun Yat-sen University in Kaohsiung. He has taught in the United States, including at Gettysburg College.

He has published 17 poetry collections and 12 prose collections. Yu's poetry since the 1970s has focused on the theme of longing for China felt by many Mainland Chinese soldiers and Nationalist Government workers who fled to Taiwan after the Chinese Civil War.