Bulletin No. 2, 2009

Chinese University Bulletin No. 2, 2009 ‘I f China were a painting, Hong Kong would be the blank space in its composition and I, an ink spot casually left in this space,’ Bei Dao says of himself in his article ‘In the Blank Space of a Painting Called China’. Bei Dao is the pseudonym of Zhao Zhenkai, a world-renowned poet and essayist. He began writing poetry and fiction during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), and founded the famous literary magazine Today in 1978. During the late 1970s and 1980s, his poetry was published in a large range of literary magazines in China and the poet began to attract attention abroad. Bei Dao left China in 1989 and has since then taught and worked as writer-in-residence in various institutions in the US and Europe. His poetry, novels and prose have been translated into over 30 languages. He has received numerous honours, including honorary membership of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. An Ink Spot  Left in the Blank Bei Dao