The Process,Essence and Influence of Literary Debates on Vulgar Language

In 1922, centered on the Chen Bao Fu Juan( Morning News Supplement), a literary debate on whether vulgar language could be used in poetry was launched between LIANG Shiqiu and ZHOU Zuoren. This debate reflected the openness and linguistic hybridity of early modern poetry in Chinese. Although it appeared to be a minor dispute over the use of language in poetry, it was actually a confrontation between the practicality and aesthetics of poetry in the new linguistic environment. It was also an exploration of how to reconstruct aesthetic principles and poetic meanings after the rule of traditional Chinese ones had been broken. The poetic issues in this debate had practical implications for the development of new the history of poetry theory and poetic creation. The language issues raised in the debate became a key reason for many subsequent debates in Chinese poetry history, fully reflecting the new possibilities brought about by the turning point in language study for modern poetry.