Xi Murong
Chinese name: Xi Murong
Foreign name: Mulun Xi Lianbo
Nationality: Chinese
< p>Nationality: MongolianBirthplace: Ming'an Banner, Chahar League, Inner Mongolia
Date of birth: October 15, 1943
Occupation: Prose Writer, poet, painter, art professor
Graduation school: Royal Academy of Arts in Brussels, Belgium
Representative works: "Qili Xiang", "There is a Song", "Exploration of the Soul"
All works: "Qili Xiang" (poetry), "The Actor" (poetry), "A Flowering Tree" (poetry), "Youth Without Resentment" (poetry), "Nine Chapters of Time" (poetry), "Edge Light and Shadow" (poetry), "Lost Poems" (poetry), "I Fold My Love" (poetry), "Three Strings" (short piece), "There is a Song" (prose), " "Collection of Tongxin" (prose), "Written to Happiness" (prose), "The Country is Waiting" (prose), "Xi Murong and Her Inner Mongolia" (photography + text), "Shell" was selected into the junior high school textbook, (with Xiaosi's "Cicada" is included in the textbook textbook for middle school students (two short articles) and "Nostalgia" (poetry). "Grandma and Shoes" was selected as a short article in primary school textbooks.
Xi Murong is a famous poet, essayist and painter. A Mongolian girl from the Ming'an Banner of the Chahar League is a descendant of the Mongolian royal family. Her grandmother is a royal princess, and she later settled in Taiwan with her family. In 1981, she published her first collection of new poems, "Qili Xiang", which became a whirlwind in Taiwan and its sales results were also astonishing. In 1982, she published her first collection of essays, "Trace of Growth," which showed another form of her creation and continued the gentle and indifferent style of her new poetry.
About the author
Xi Murong
Xi Murong's full name is Mulun Xi Lianbo, which means big river, and "Murong" is the root of "Mulun" Harmonious translation. Born on October 15, 1943 in Jingangpo, a suburb of Chongqing. His ancestral home is Ming'an Banner, Chahar League, Inner Mongolia. He moved to Hong Kong in 1949. He spent his childhood in Hong Kong and later moved to Taiwan with his family. When he was 13 years old, he wrote poems in his diary. In 1956, he entered the Art Department of Taipei Normal University. In 1964, he went to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, Belgium, and entered the advanced oil painting class. In 1966, he graduated with first place from the Royal Academy of Arts in Brussels, Belgium. In 1969, he published his works in Taiwan's "Central Supplement" under the pen name Xiao Rui. Returned to Taiwan in July and taught art in Hsinchu Normal College. In the following years, he was invited to participate in many provincial and international art exhibitions. He also contributed articles under the pen names of Xiao Rui, Mo Rong, Mulun Xi Lianbo, etc., and most of his works were prose. In 1970, he published works in "United Supplements" under the pen name of Mullen. In October 1977, the column "Poetic Painting, Painting Poetry" was launched in Crown Magazine. In 1981, Taiwan's Dadi Publishing House published Xi Murong's first collection of poems, "Qili Xiang", and the famous collection of essays, "Qianqian Fangcao". In September 1989, I went to the hometown of my father and late mother, and saw the Mongolian Plateau for the first time. In January 1987, the poetry collection "Nine Chapters of Time" was published by Erya Publishing House. In July 1990, the collection of essays "My Hometown is on the Plateau" was published by Yuanshen Publishing House. At the same time, the anthology of modern Mongolian poems "The Starlight in the Distance" was also published. In 1997, a personal selection was published by Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House.
Xi Murong has devoted herself to painting since she was fourteen years old. She has been a professor at Hsinchu Normal College in Taiwan for many years and still regards it as her main occupation. As a professional painter, Xi Murong has had many solo exhibitions at home and abroad, and has won the Belgian Royal Gold Medal, the Brussels Municipal Government Gold Medal, two bronze medals from the European Artists Association, the Golden Tripod Award for Best Lyrics, and the Zhongxing Literature and Art Medal New Poetry Award. Writing poetry is just a way to rest after a tiring day. She wrote poems to "commemorate a period of time gone by, to commemorate the small world that only existed in my heart." The word "true" is cast in the poem and has a distinct personality. Her poems are full of understanding and understanding of human feelings, love and nostalgia. He has written more than 50 kinds of poetry collections, essay collections, picture albums and anthologies, with readers at home and abroad. In the past ten years, I have devoted myself to exploring Mongolian culture, taking my hometown as the theme of my creations. In 2002, he was appointed as an honorary professor of Inner Mongolia University. The new work "Xi Murong and Her Inner Mongolia" uses beautiful words and photos taken by herself to record Xi Murong's 17-year pursuit of nomadic culture since her encounter with her "original hometown" in 1989.
Analyzing the process of writing poetry, Xi Murong told reporters: "When I was young, I wrote poetry because of loneliness, perhaps a desire for beauty; when I got older, I wrote poetry because I could not calm the turmoil in my heart. "When I was young, I wrote poems because of melancholy, and people became brave because of it." Xi Murong lingered in the country of poetry, "a poem is a self-sufficient world." Regarding the passage of time, the touch of life, and the many things in life that are difficult to express but are deeply felt, Xi Murong felt that she could only express them through poetry. "Poetry can explain things clearly, but ordinary times cannot." When he wrote "Qili Xiang", it was the quietest moment in Xi Murong's life. It was the age of reading, falling in love, getting married, having children, and only a little nostalgia. , the feeling is sensitive and pure, it is the most refreshing moment of life. The line drawing illustrations in the poem "Qili Xiang" were also drawn when she was putting her children to sleep. Put a pen and a notebook beside the bed and draw anytime and anywhere.
The children were also very quiet. When they saw their mother holding a pen, they fell asleep contentedly. To this day, when looking back at her old works, Xi Murong still feels lucky for herself. "Fortunately, I wrote "Qili Xiang" when I was 36 years old. I was lucky that I wrote it when I wanted to write it. Many people will regret that they wrote less, but I didn't. I feel lucky that after I came over, "Qili Xiang" was left behind on the way. "The reporter asked Xi Murong whether he wrote these poems because of the abundance of life or the desire for love. Xi Murong looked satisfied: "It should be the abundance of life."
Chronology of Major Events
Born on October 15, 1943 in Jingangpo, a suburb of Chongqing, her ancestral home is Cha, Inner Mongolia Ming'an Banner of Harmeng.
Entered the first grade of primary school in Nanjing in 1948.
In 1949
Moved to Hong Kong and entered the primary school attached to Tongji Middle School.
In 1951, he won first place in the school’s fourth-grade composition competition.
Graduated from elementary school in 1953, and his essay "My Autobiography" was published on the back cover of the school magazine. Promoted to the first grade of junior high school at the same school.
In 1954, she moved to Taiwan, took the joint examination for transfer students, and was admitted to the second grade of Beijing No. 2 Girls' Junior High School (now Zhongshan Girls' High School). I received a lot of encouragement from teachers Chao Jing and Dong Xiu of the National Science and Technology Department and teacher Yang Mengzhong of the Art Department. Start writing poetry in your journal. The first poetry collection I purchased was "Blue Feathers" by Yu Guangzhong.
In 1955, he won the first place in the Chinese reading competition of the third grade of junior high school in the school.
In 1956, he entered the Art Department of Taipei Normal University and officially began to study painting. His first teachers were Mr. Sun Liqun and Mr. Zhou Wei. Participated in the editing work of "Beijing Normal University Youth" for three years. Published prose and poetry in the school magazine under the pseudonym Xia Caizhi. He published poems in off-campus educational publications and contributed to "Free Youth", which was also published. He has won first place in the school's speech, debate and essay competitions.
In 1959, he entered the Art Department of Normal University. The sketches are from teachers Chen Huikun and Yuan Shuzhen, the watercolors are from teachers Ma Baishui and Li Zefan, the oil paintings are from teachers Li Shiqiao and Liao Jichun, and the traditional Chinese paintings are from teachers Lin Yushan, Wu Yongxiang, Huang Junbi and Zhang Dewen.
In 1960, the watercolor "Still Life" was selected into the Provincial Art Exhibition.
1963 Won third place in watercolor in the provincial youth art competition held by the Taipei Women's Association. Normal University Graduation Art Exhibition
Xi Murong
Third place, second place in watercolor. Graduated from Normal University and taught at Renai Junior High School in Bei City. Participated in the Crown Unforgettable Characters Essay Competition, using Xiao Rui as the pen name, and the essay "Souvenir" won the title.
In 1964, he went to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, Belgium, to further his studies and entered the advanced oil painting class. Due to his excellent entrance results, he was directly promoted to the second grade, where he studied under Professor Leon Defus.
In 1965, her works were selected for the 70th Salon des Indépendants in Paris, and participated in the 81st United Salon of Female Painters, the 10th International Women's Painting Exhibition, etc. In the same year, he was invited to participate in the "Chinese Contemporary Painters Exhibition" held by the Royal Museum of History and Art in Bijing.
In February 1966, on the recommendation of the professor, he held his first solo exhibition at the Bijing Egmont Gallery. The art critics of Belgium's seven major newspapers all reviewed and introduced it. Invited to participate in the 31st Marine Painters Exhibition. Graduated first in July. Won the Best First Prize, the Dutron de Tri Foundation Award, the Gold Medal Award from the City of Brussels and the Gold Medal Award from the Kingdom of Belgium.
In 1967, he entered the etching studio of Professor Claude Lee and specialized in etching etching for one year. Participated in the "European Art Exhibition" held in Bijing and won two bronze medals from the European Artists Association. Held a personal exhibition at the University of Friborg, Switzerland. Held a personal exhibition in Winterthur, Switzerland. A personal painting exhibition was held at the Beijing Coca-Cola Factory Cultural Center.
In 1968, he held solo exhibitions at the Bijing Egmont Gallery and the Horn Gallery.
In 1969, he published his works in "Central Supplement" under the pseudonym Xiao Rui.
In 1970, he published works in "United Supplements" under the pen name of Mullen. Returned to Taiwan in July and taught art in Hsinchu Normal College. In the following years, he was invited to participate in many provincial and international art exhibitions. He also contributed articles under the pen names of Xiao Rui, Mo Rong, Mulun Xi Lianbo, etc., and most of his works were prose.
In 1974, the first solo exhibition after returning to Taiwan was held at the National Gallery of the National Museum of History in Taiwan.
In 1976, he participated in the first United Daily News Novel Award. Under the pen name Qianhua, his article "Birthday Cake" won the award.
1977
Hold a personal exhibition at the U.S. Information Office in Taichung. In October, the column "Paintings of Poems, Poems of Paintings" began to be published in Crown Magazine.
1979
Started studying laser painting in April. In May, he held a personal exhibition at the German Cultural Center in Taipei. In July, "Painting Poems" was published together with Crown Magazine. In November, she started writing the column "Letter to Young Mothers" on early childhood art education in "Women" magazine. In December, he held a solo exhibition at Taipei Tai Chi Art Gallery, which was the first laser painting exhibition in Taiwan. Poems began to be published in "United Supplements".
1980
Continued to study laser painting, published papers, and exhibited them in the form of prints and oil paintings. In July, the long poem "My Mother, My Mother" was published in Young Lion Literature. Started painting No. 300 oil painting "Lotus".
1981
In January, he participated in the Laser Art Exhibition held in San Diego, USA with his laser printmaking. Poems have been published in "United Supplement", "China Times", "China Daily", "Young Lion Literature and Art", "Taiwan Times", "Taiwan Daily", "Free Tabloid", "China Literature and Art" and "Sunshine Collection". April's long poem "The Name of Love" was published in "Taiwan Times". In June, he held a solo exhibition at the National Gallery of the National Museum of History in Taiwan as a gift for his father's 70th birthday. "Mirror Series" and No. 300 "Lotus" are on display. The September poetry collection "Qili Xiang" is published by Dadi Publishing House and will be reprinted within one month. In October, he was invited to serve as a jury member of the Oil Painting Department of the Provincial Art Exhibition. In December, "Out of the Sea" won the Golden Tripod Award for Best Lyrics in the Recording Category.
1982
In March, the essay collections "Trace of Growth" and "Drawing the Rainbow in the Heart" were published by Erya Publishing House, and in December "Introduction to Laser Art" 》Published by Taiwan Laser Promotion Association.
1983
The February poetry collections "Trace of Growth" and "Drawing the Rainbow in the Heart" were published by Dadi Publishing House. Qiyue, Xiaofeng and Ai Ya co-authored the essay collection "Sanxian", which was published by Erya Publishing House. The October essay collection "There is a Song" is published by Hongfan Bookstore.
In 1984
The "Material Research" course was launched in the Fine Arts Department of Tunghai University. Start a sketching trip of wild plants, using pens, pencils, light colors and pastels to record. Started experimenting with laser engraving.
1985
Tongxinji, a collection of essays co-authored by March and Liu Haibei, was published by Jiuge Publishing House, with Xindai writing the preface. In June, he held art exhibitions at the Apollo Gallery and the Crown Art Center. The Apollo Gallery exhibited his works over the past four years - "Night Series" and oil paintings such as lotus bodies. A retrospective exhibition of oil paintings and drawings over the past twenty years is on display at the Crown Arts Center. In July, I was invited to Hong Kong to participate in a literary summer camp. The October collection of essays "Written to Happiness" was published by Erya Publishing House.
1986
Continuing the sketching trip of wild plants, I climbed Shimen Mountain and got to know the alpine plants of Taiwan for the first time. In April, a three-person touring joint exhibition with Chen Qimao and Xi Murong
Xi Murong (20 photos)
Chu Ge held a joint exhibition at cultural centers in several counties and cities. In July, he was invited by Hong Kong Baptist College to give a lecture in Hong Kong. In August, he began to write the 300-line poem "The Legend of Summer Nights". In October, he started working on monochrome oil paintings of the "Landscape Series".
1987
The January poetry collection "Nine Chapters of Time" was published by Erya Publishing House. In April, "Nine Chapters of Time" won the Zhongxing Literature and Art Medal New Poetry Award. In May, he held a joint exhibition with Chu Ge and Jiang Xun at the Dunhuang Art Center in Taipei and published the "Landscape" painting album. My mother passed away in May. At the end of June, I was invited to give a speech in Los Angeles at the annual meeting of the Western American Chinese Society. In July, he participated in the "Meeting Friends through Literature" symposium at the Dongfeng Bookstore Book Fair in San Francisco. In October, he started working on the series of oil paintings "Lotus Continuous Painting".
In 1988
A collection of poetry and prose in March, "In That Distant Place" was published by Yuanshen Publishing House. The photography part was the work of Lin Dongsheng. In July, I went to Indonesia to do lotus sketching in Indonesia. In September, I was invited to give a speech at the "Reading Month" of the South China Morning Post in Singapore.
1989
The January collection of essays and sketches "Token" was published by Yuanshen Publishing House. The collection of essays and sketches "Sketcher" in March was published by Dayan Publishing House. In April, he held a solo exhibition at Apollo Gallery and was invited to exhibit in Newport. In August, I went to Europe with my daughter Fangci. In September, I went to the hometown of my father and late mother and saw the Mongolian Plateau for the first time. Since September, at the invitation of editor-in-chief Ms. Ji Ji, I have published the tenth article in the returning home series - "My Hometown is on the Plateau" in the Human World Page of "China Times". Starting from October, with the help of friends, I started reading a lot of works of modern Mongolian poets and Mongolian history.
199O
The July prose collection "My Hometown is on the Plateau" was published by Yuanshen Publishing House, and the photography part was the work of Wang Xinggong. At the same time, he also published an anthology of modern Mongolian poetry titled "The Starlight in the Distance". In August, I went to Europe with Zi Ankai. In September, we returned to the Mongolian Plateau to visit the mausoleum of the holy ancestor Genghis Khan. At the end of September, we went to Ulaanbaatar and Lingudu, Mongolia. Taking a train across the Gobi Desert in October coincides with the full moon night of the eighth lunar month.
1991
Have a one-year vacation at the Normal University. In April, he held a joint exhibition with Chu Ge and Jiang Xun at the Qingyun Art Center and published the "Flower Season" painting album. The May collection of essays "The Country Is Waiting for" is published by Hongfan Bookstore. In June, he was invited by the Palace of Arts and Culture in Berlin, Germany to go to Berlin to recite poetry. And was invited to give a lecture on the modern Chinese literature course of the University of Hamburg, Germany. In July, he accompanied a 16-member Taiwanese cultural delegation to Ulaanbaatar at the invitation of the Mongolian Ministry of Culture to participate in the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. In July, he received the Cultural Medal from the Mongolian Minister of Culture. In August, the mainland version of "The Country is Waiting" was authorized to be published by Guangzhou Huacheng Publishing House. It was learned that Xi Murong's poetry collection published by Huacheng alone has sold more than 1.5 million copies. In September, he signed a contract with Beijing China Copyright Agency Company, entrusting him to deal with serious infringements of piracy and counterfeiting of Xi Murong's works in various provinces in mainland China. In September, I went to Mongolia again to visit local artists, and went to Kusugupo in northern Mongolia for interviews and photography.
1992
The long-planned "Mongolian Literature Album" was published in the supplement of "United Daily News" in February.
In February, he published the slide show "A Closer Look at Mongolia" and gave a special lecture on Mongolia with Wang Qimei, Fan Manon, Wang Xinggong and Jiang Xun. In April, Mongolian folk music workers were invited to visit and record in Taiwan. In May, he was invited to participate in the "International Symposium on Mongolian Culture" held in Taipei and published a paper "Looking at Contemporary Mongolian Intellectuals from the Creation of Poetry." In June, he had a solo exhibition at the Qingyun Art Center in Taipei, and published the painting collection "Plucking Hibiscus across the River". June's poetry collection "Songs of the River" is published by Donghua Book Company.
In addition, "Shell" written by Xi Murong was included in the Chinese textbook for the first volume of junior high school published by the People's Education Press; "Nostalgia" was included in the Chinese textbook for the third junior high school published by the Guangdong Education Press.
However, there is another theory:
Xi Murong was born in Sichuan in 1943. After that, she lived in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and then Taiwan. Originally, Xi Murong, who is Mongolian, didn't feel that she was any different from the classmates around her. However, during a geography class in junior high school, the teacher said some words that hurt Mongolians. Suddenly, all the students' eyes were focused on her. On the body. After class, the classmates seemed to have forgotten what had just happened and started laughing and playing with her again. But from then on, Xi Murong never wanted to say a word to the teacher again.
After many years, Xi Murong said that if she met this teacher again, she really wanted to say sorry to him. Maybe he didn’t mean it at the time, but just wanted to use a joking tone to cheer up the students for class. That’s all. It was only after these years that Xi Murong slowly understood some things. She felt that a Han person can be a lifelong friend with you, but once he retreats into his own ethnic group, he speaks and comments on the culture of other ethnic groups from the perspective of his own ethnic group. , beliefs and even everything, prejudice is very serious. At least in that class, the Mongolia the teacher described was far different from what her parents told her.
Xi Murong’s father was a Mongolian intellectual of the previous generation. After 1949, he traveled from Taiwan to Europe and never came back again until his death. "He was reluctant to go back. Because his previous impression was so good, he was afraid of damaging his impression. Especially after experiencing the destruction of the Cultural Revolution," Xi Murong said.
When Xi Murong was an art professor in Taiwan, there was an archeology and history bookstore near the school.
Xi Murong’s works (7 photos)
She was a complete layman on archeology. She had not returned to the Mongolian Plateau at that time, but for a period of time, every time she went to the bookstore Go for a walk, and when you come back, you will find that most of the books you bought are related to Mongolian archeology.
“Just because it is the culture of my parents’ hometown, it will make me feel more at ease after buying it.”
From 1989 to the present, there are endless trips on the grassland. Leaving made her happy, but also accompanied by pain and regret.
Apart from the environment, what saddens her most is the gradual confusion of values ??and the demise of traditional rituals. She firmly believes: "Every culture has its own values."
In 2006, the Naadam Festival was held in Xilinhot City, and various literary and artistic groups came from the Yellow River Basin to perform with gongs and drums. "But they dance some dances that have nothing to do with Mongolian culture."
Naadam means a music party, and now Han friends also like to participate. Xi Murong said that of course they should be welcome. But Naadam has its own ceremony. From beginning to end, there are very ancient rules passed down from generation to generation, such as wrestling, archery, horse racing, etc. "Why invite the circus and circus?" Xi Murong felt very sad.
"It no longer looks like a Naadam. In two generations, no one may be able to say what a truly nomadic Naadam is."
After a book signing in Beijing, Xi Murong was about to leave for Ejina and Alxa in Inner Mongolia. For her, the Mongolian Plateau can never be completed. There is really too rich and fresh knowledge in it, and the attraction of nomadic culture is too strong.
She clearly remembered that when her father was traveling with her in Europe, he once said it was too boring and he didn't like having things blocking his vision. At that time, Xi Murong had not been to the Mongolian Plateau. "I think Europe is so big and the scenery is so beautiful, how can it be boring? I don't understand, can mountains so far away also block you?"
It wasn't until he returned to the Mongolian Plateau that Xi Murong knew what it meant to have nothing blocking his eyes.
On the first day after returning to my hometown, I saw a herdsman riding a horse from the grassland from a distance. "He was wearing blue clothes. From such a distance, I could see the light of the yellow belt around his waist, just like the tip of a needle shining in the sun. In fact, I am short-sighted, but on the grassland, I I can see clearly."
"Oh! My God, I understand how my father feels." Only then did Xi Murong understand her father deeply.
“This is a memory passed down from generation to generation.” Xi Murong once told a reporter from Youth Weekend.
If you observe carefully, it is not difficult to find that the trip to Mongolia in 1989 was a watershed in Xi Murong's creation. Before, she lived in her parents' homesickness, and then she lived in her own homesickness. Xi Murong described the difference in terms of transformation rather than change, and revealed a short story that made her think for a long time.
Before public education personnel were allowed to visit relatives, she wrote some nostalgic words based on the narratives of her parents and grandmother. Then Hong Kong photographer Lam Tung-sheng went all the way to Mongolia to take many photos of her hometown and combined them with pictures and texts. Chen Zhifa published a book "In That Distant Place" (Yuan Shen). Unexpectedly, one of Xi Murong's friends poured cold water on her and said to her: "In any case, what you wrote was just second-hand experience." This sentence left her speechless.
But when she actually got on the train back home and saw the familiar station names jumping into her eyes one by one, what she thought of was more of what her parents told her back then. For example, when driving through Xuanhua, she thought of her mother's words that Xuanhua's grapes are the most delicious; when driving through Zhangjiakou, she thought of the Mongolian translator and translator that her grandfather and uncle had set up here, which was as large as half a street. At this time, Xi Murong suddenly understood, "It turns out that this is how culture is transmitted", "All first-hand experience must be passed through second-hand experience, and the power will be stronger." This is why when she came to her mother's hometown, she wanted to find out what her mother said. The whole forest is fragrant, and it is impossible to walk through the sea of ??pine desert trees. However, when you find that there is not even a pine tree left here, you will be so shocked. It turns out that the lush green forest that has been maintained for thousands of years only lasts for dozens of years. The year can be destroyed in one day, just as the Han people could easily destroy the cultural traditions of the Mongols during the Cultural Revolution with their crude and unitary values.