Flash Cards: Selected Poems from Yu Jian's Anthology of Notes (Chinese Writing Today)

Yu Jian's 'Flash Cards' is a collection of short atypical poems. Yu Jian takes an unconventional approach in writing his poems. Most of his poems in 'Flash Cards' are short and critical in their description of life in Yunnan and China. He uses metaphors to compare reality and `simple' everyday objects. If you are a lover of `breaking the rules', then you will enjoy Yu Jian's 'Flash Cards.'He is detached from authority and orthodox. While other poets search for the beautiful and the grand to compose poems, Yu Jian finds beauty in smaller, `uglier' objects that are often disregarded. He believes that from darkness, comes light. Yu uses the `darkness' of his experiences to create his poems.In one of his poems, he talks about writing a poem `in autumn on the lunar day of August 15 or September 15' (page 27) as is customary. However, he opts to write not about the aesthetic and marvelous `like the ancient masters' (page 27) but about the reality of the time; of the world he lives in. His poem about autumn says nothing about the `expected': no leaves changing colors, no crisp air, no to-die-for scenery. He surprises the reader when he says `I write in autumn...nothing to do with the autumn in Tang dynasty poems' (page 27) - here, he emphasizes how much he believes in veering away from the `usual' and breaking tradition. His poems are nothing like Tang dynasty poems - his poems lack the colorful imagery and romanticism that are characteristic of Tang dynasty poems. According to Yu, it is not autumn that controls `everything between the sky and the earth' (page 27), but what takes precedence this month is the actualities of life. He focuses on `the pipes from the water treatment plant and rusty water meters on apartment walls, their dials turning' (page 27). This image is grotesque compared to the usual images of breath-taking nature described in poems about autumn. However to Yu, `a shepherd boy's flute in the storm' (page 27) is trivial compared to Yunnan's constant water shortages - he alludes to this by his images of pipes and `rusty water meters'. I believe Yu Jian is urging his readers, other poets and fellow Yunnan people to divert their attention from the typical, optimistic, and sometimes ignorant, views of life to the `ugly truths' and to the things rarely deemed as important.Though he does tend to write about the harsh realities of life, he also suggests that the `simple' things in life are enjoyable. He finds happiness in things that most people forget to be grateful for, like the water temperature being just right for rinsing one's mouth (page 17). Here, he also calls for people to resist obsessing about things that are usually considered most vital, like politics, and to appreciate `the little things.'The use of metaphors, seemingly insignificant objects and darkness to educate people are characteristic of Yu Jian's poems in 'Flash Cards'. Through his poems, one can get a glimpse of life through Yu Jian's eyes. His poems are not necessarily for pleasure but serve to illuminate the realities of life for the people. 'Flash Cards' is a good read for someone who likes being enthralled in deep thought and who prefers `going off the beaten path.'

I was fascinated with Yu Jian's "Flashcards." Yu Jian has an incredible knack for pointing out the meaning of ordinary occurrences, making the ordinary ironic and interesting. However, he does not force meaning into the events he writes about; he merely and skillfully points out meaning that's already there, but is often overlooked because of the event's simplicity. For example, I was extremely satisfied after reading his poem about an antique bowl that is shattered at a dinner party. Yu Jian begins the poem by describing the bowl and its uses in less than 30 words, building within the reader a fondness for the bowl, and an ability to imagine the bowl in its physical form. Then, a dinner party guest shatters the bowl and the poem reads, "Never mind cried the host it's a cheap plate/Daily life/began with an epic ended in tragedy" (33). Words like "cried," "epic," and "tragedy" hit me hard and all of a sudden I was mourning the loss of this beautiful, ancient bowl. I felt the frustration of the host because of the careful way Yu Jian described an event that many can relate to and that has happened to many-a person. This poem, like the majority of Yu Jian's poems in this book, is very short and to the point, and transforms a mundane event into an event full of meaning. His word choice (and how these words were translated) is what is most captivating about his poems.Poems that do strike me as strange or that I don't understand are few and far between. Because his poems were concise, even when Yu Jian described scenes that were unfamiliar to me as a reader or a bit abstract, such as a Buddhist temple or an unidentified road, I did not lose my focus as I do when reading other writers' poetry, often saturated with flowery metaphors and description. Yu Jian keeps my attention.Yu Jian writes,"Someone discovered Xi Shuang Ban Na`Beautiful Place'The locals don't know what that meansThey've never discovered beauty in their native landThe world has always been like thisThe place has always been called Xi Shuang Ban Na" (53)I have never been to Xi Shuang Ba Na, and this poem does not describe an ordinary event. However, the simple phrase "The locals don't know what that means" has me feeling empty and unsettled. I come from a place I feel is extremely beautiful, which connects me to my home and the people I grew up with. Yu Jian presents to the reader the idea that some cannot feel the same way, which is upsetting to me.I would recommend this book to anybody in the mood to use their imagination and "suspend their disbelief" temporarily. Even if poetry is not your cup of tea (it sure isn't mine!) Yu Jian's poems will take you away for a while, into a colorful and poetic world that isn't too complicated to imagine. I found myself shaking my head, satisfied with my understandings of the situations Yu Jian described and feeling a bit nostalgic when I had reached the end of the book.