Bei Dao

Bei Dao, whose real name is Zhao Zhenkai, was born in Beijing in 1949. The Chinese writer is best known as a poet. From 1969 to 1980, he worked as a construction worker; from 1978 to 1980, he co-edited Jintian (Today), an independent literary magazine. From 1980 to 1985, he worked as an editor, including for China’s Esperanto newspaper, and subsequently as a freelance writer. During the Beijing Spring, he was one of the important representatives of the democratic renewal movement. His works include the poetry collections Post bellum and The Book of Defeat, as well as the memoir The City Gate Opens: A Youth in Beijing. In 2005, he received the Jeanette Schocken Prize. His pseudonym Bei Dao means “Northern Island.”