Li Jinfa

Li Jinfa (李金髮; November 21, 1900 – December 25, 1976) was a Chinese poet, sculptor, and diplomat of Hakka descent. Li was often considered to be the founder of Chinese symbolistic poetry and was credited with helping modernize Chinese poetry. Li was also a professional sculptor throughout most of his working life. Briefly from 1944 to 1946 , Li worked for Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Iraq and Iran.

In 1919, at the age of 17, Li left China from Shanghai to study in France. It was here in 1922 where Li adopted his typical pen name of "Li Jinfa" after receiving visits from a blonde goddess which he believed cured of an illness he was suffering at the time. In 1928 Li published "Ancient Greek Love Song" 《古希腊戀歌》.

Despite his first few collections of poems being regarded as his best work, these publications garnered little attention form the other literati. It was not until the 1930's were Li's initial publication of "Light Rain" began to be recognized as the first instance of Chinese symbolist poetry.

In 1936 Li moved his family to Guangzhou to take up a teaching position at Guangzhou Municipal Art School. In 1940 Li returned to Guangdong province to the wartime capital of Shaoguan. During this time Li published patriotic poems in literary magazines in support of the Chinese war effort against the Japanese. During the war Li published his last major poetic work titled "Exotic" 《异国情调》.

In 1941, Li began working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1944 Li was appointed the position as of first secretary to the Republic of China's embassy in Iran, later he was made chargé d'affaires to the Chinese Embassy in Iraq.

In 1951 Li immigrated to the United States where he became a chicken farmer before using his skills as a sculptor to make a living. Li died in New York in 1976.

Poetry collections +TitleYear Published"Light Rain" 《微雨》1925"Song for Happiness" 《为幸福而歌》1926"Gourmet and the Bad Year" 《食客与凶年》1927"Ancient Greek Love Song" 《古希腊戀歌》1928"Exotic" 《异国情调》(???) Sometime during the Second-Sino Japanese War

Major sculptures +DescriptionLocationBronze statue of Sun Yat-sen Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's Memorial Hall, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China thumbBronze statue of Wu Tingfang Yuexiu Mountain, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China thumb