Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c15.s2.t12.4

v2.c15.s2.t12.4

In 1922, Wen Yiduo travelled to the United States of America for higher studies like many other young Chinese students of his generation, and joined the Fine Arts Department (mei-shu xue-yuan 美术学院) of Chicago University. In 1923, he brought out the first masterpiece of his poems, *Red Candle* (hong-zhu 红烛). In 1925, he returned to China and successively took up several teaching assignments in Wu Han University, National Shandong university, Qing Hua University and Beijing University, while assuming many administrative responsibilities like Heads of Art and Literature Departments and deans and directors of various faculties of different universities. In 1928, he published the second collection of his poems, *Dead Water* (si-shui 死水) in which the intense patriotic enthusiasm of the poet has been profoundly depicted. In the same year, he joined the *Crescent Moon Society* (Xin-yue-she 新月社), while continuing to write essays on poetry. The literary philosophy that he followed in all his writings was that “art must be made independent of politics,” and thereby, he championed the cause of full freedom for writers and intellectuals to pursue their own ideas and goals in their artistic and literary creative works.