Huang Tsun-Hsien

(also Huang Kung-tu). Born 1848 in Chiaying District (now Meihsien District), Kwangtung Province; died Mar. 28, 1905, in Chiaying District. Chinese poet, diplomat, and historian.

Huang held diplomatic posts in Japan from 1877 to 1882, in the USA from 1882 to 1885, and in Great Britain and Singapore from 1891 to 1894. He took part in the liberal reform movement from 1895 to 1898, and upon its defeat he was sentenced to lifelong exile. With Liang Ch’i-ch’ao, Huang published a journal devoted to literature and public affairs, Shih-wu pao, from 1896 to 1898.

Huang called for the rejuvenation of classical poetic forms and took as his subject the Chinese people’s struggle against foreign conquerers. In 1868 he wrote a cycle of lyric poems, Songs of the Mountains, that was based on themes from folk songs. He was the author of the collection Verses on Japan (1879) and the historical work A Description of Japan (vols. 1–4, 1890); the latter played an important role in the reform movement in China. The poetry of Huang’s Japanese and American periods reflects a concern for the fate of his country. Anti-imperialist and patriotic themes are evident in the poems “I Grieve For You, Port Arthur,” “Lament for Weihaiwei,” and “I Mourn Pyongyang.” Huang’s Notes on Education (1902–04) advocates the granting of political rights to the people.