Poet Wang Guozhen dies at 59

Yin Hong, literature critic and professor from Tsinghua School of Journalism and Communication, said, "Another icon of our times has passed away."

"I was inspired by his poems and copied every sentence down on my notebooks," Wang Ling, a Sina weibo user, posted. "Although my Chinese teacher told me I might encounter greater poets as I grew up, which I did, I still miss the time when I had the patience to read poems and really believed in the ideal world built by his words."

Ma Dayong, professor of the Literature department of Jilin University, said, "Poetry is the most beautiful and delicate form of expressing our thoughts and words. The ability to appreciate this special art requires reading, thinking, experience and especially empathy. This all takes time. But now when people have time, they go out for entertainment. Not many people are willing to slow down to read. Only at times like this, with the demise of a famous poet, do people turn back to things that used to touch their hearts."

"Poetry's role in shaping people’s worlds is simply irreplaceable," Luo Zhenya, poetry critic and professor of Naikai University commented in a report by People's Daily.

Wang's passing has also triggered an increase in the number of subscribers to public Wechat accounts like Read A Poem For You among young poetry lovers.