Introduction to Shu Ting's To the Oak Tree | Generated by AI
Question: Give an introduction to Shu Ting’s poem “To the Oak Tree” (致橡树).
Answer:
Shu Ting’s 《致橡树》 (To the Oak Tree) is one of the most famous and influential modern Chinese poems, widely regarded as a classic of the Misty Poetry (朦胧诗) movement.
- Author: Shu Ting (舒婷), born 1952 in Fujian Province (original name Gong Peiyu 龚佩瑜), a leading female poet of the post-Cultural Revolution era and a key figure in Misty Poetry alongside Bei Dao, Gu Cheng, and others.
- Creation time: March 1977 (some sources say inspired by a conversation in 1975).
- Publication: First appeared in Poetry magazine (《诗刊》) in 1979, Issue 4; later included in her 1982 poetry collection Double-Masted Ship (《双桅船》).
- Form and length: Free verse, 36 lines, written in first person as an inner monologue.
- Core imagery & symbolism:
- The speaker is a kapok tree (木棉, a tall, fiery-red-flowered tree, symbolizing a strong, independent woman).
- The addressee is an oak tree (橡树, symbolizing a steadfast, towering man).
- Rejects traditional dependent images: clinging trumpet vine (凌霄花), infatuated bird, fountain, perilous peak, sunlight, spring rain — all represent unequal,附属 or worshipful love.
- Proclaims the ideal: two trees standing side by side — independent yet deeply connected, roots entwined underground, leaves touching in the wind, sharing sunshine, storms, and life together.
Main theme & significance
The poem passionately rejects traditional feudal or patriarchal love models (where women depend on or adorn men) and declares a modern, equal, independent, and mutually respectful view of love.
It is both a love declaration and a feminist-leaning manifesto of personal dignity — especially powerful coming from a female voice in the late 1970s. Many readers see it as expressing the awakening of individuality and female consciousness after the Cultural Revolution.
Cultural impact
- Frequently included in Chinese high-school textbooks (e.g., People’s Education Press versions).
- Became a “national” love poem for generations born in the 1970s–1990s; widely quoted in love letters, weddings, and discussions of gender equality.
- Often recited at poetry readings; many consider it Shu Ting’s signature work, even though she herself has said it’s not necessarily her best poem.
Famous lines (most quoted part):
我如果爱你——
绝不像攀援的凌霄花，
借你的高枝炫耀自己；
……
我必须是你近旁的一株木棉，
作为树的形象和你站在一起。
In short, 《致橡树》 uses simple yet powerful natural imagery to express a dignified, modern ideal of love: two strong individuals standing equally together, neither clinging nor dominating — a message that remains fresh and resonant today.
References: