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In 1950s and 1960s, the definition of China's popular poetry was that of He Qifang: "Poetry is a literary genre that reflects social life most intensively. Full of imagination and emotion, it is often expressed in a direct lyrical way, with refined language, harmonious tone and clear rhythm. "
Poetry, as the spiritual home of mankind, as the sustenance and habitat of the soul, is interlinked with religion. Religion, as the consolation of the soul, is so unreliable that the existence of God has long been questioned in today's prosperous science.
Cai Yuanpei once advocated "replacing religion with aesthetic education". Presumably, he also hopes that after the disillusionment of religion and the death of God, there will be another way to poeticize life, so as to have another conversion to the rootless floating life and a metaphysical yearning and pursuit for the helpless life, instead of being like the "postmodern" people in today's world.
Poetry in a narrow sense has been created, spread and appreciated for thousands of years since the heroic epic The Forgotten One of Babylon, especially from China's The Book of Songs and Homer's epic in ancient Greece, and it was always regarded as an authentic literary style before modern times in China.
In 1950s and 1960s, the definition of China's popular poetry was that of He Qifang: "Poetry is a literary genre that reflects social life most intensively. Full of imagination and emotion, it is often expressed in a direct lyrical way, with refined language, harmonious tone and clear rhythm. "
Baidu encyclopedia-poetry