A woman, a farmer, and a poet

Updated: 2015-01-31 06:58

(chinadaily.com.cn/Xinhua)

Yu Xiuhua binds up her hair in the morning on Jan 17, 2015. [Photo/qq.com]

So far, Yu has penned more than 2,000 poems. She describes poetry as her crutch, which she turned to "when faltering in the reeling world".

Some people have begun to affectionately refer to her as the Chinese Emily Dickinson.

"She is a sensitive woman and the verses flow out of her heart naturally," said writer Zhu Min.

Zha Wenjin, a fellow poet, said that although Yu's work was of varying quality, "they were worth savoring".

Taking "Cross half of China to accost you" as an example, she said: "It sounds wild and bold, but you can feel the bitterness between the lines."

Of course, there are those unmoved by her poems, such as poetry critic Han Mo. "She is only famous because of media hype," he said. "We should forget that she is a peasant with cerebral palsy, and rate her work by pure literary merit."

Yu said she doesn't want her illness to attract attention either.

"If I was not disabled, I could visit more places and write better poems," she said.

Some of Yu's poems have been published by magazines and newspapers.