Yu Dafu (left), Yu Mantuo (middle), and Yu Yangwu (right) posing for a photo

Yu Dafu, originally named Yu Wen, styled Dafu, was born into a wealthy intellectual family in Fuyang, Zhejiang. However, the good times did not last long; unfortunately, his father passed away due to illness when he was three years old. Losing the pillar of the family, their home fell into decline.

The hardships of life and the decline of the family ignited Yu Dafu's desire to learn. In 1903, at the age of seven, he entered a private school and, over the years, successively enrolled in Hangzhou Prefectural School and American missionary schools. During this period, Yu Dafu learned advanced Western knowledge and discovered his interests. He began writing traditional poetry in 1911 and submitted works to newspapers. In 1912, he was admitted to the preparatory course at Zhejiang University but was expelled due to participating in student protests. In 1913, he entered Huilan Middle School in Hangzhou but, dissatisfied with the education at the missionary school, returned home for self-study.

Yu Dafu during his studies at Nagoya High School

In September 1913, Yu Dafu followed his elder brother Yu Mantuo, who was investigating the judicial system, to Japan. In November of the same year, he entered Kanda Seigaku School to catch up on junior high school courses and studied Japanese at night. The following summer, he enrolled in the preparatory course at Tokyo First High School. During his time at "Ichiko," he began to engage with Western literature. The next year, he entered Nagoya Eighth High School to study science; the following year, he switched to the arts, and during his four years at "Hachiko," he read over a thousand novels from Russia, Germany, Britain, France, and Japan (according to Yu Dafu's 1927 "Review of My Creative Life Over the Past Five or Six Years"). Upon entering the Economics Department of Tokyo Imperial University, he delved deeper into foreign literature.

Hachiko dormitory

During his nearly ten years of studying in Japan, he was exposed to the works of international writers such as Russian authors Turgenev, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Gogol, Chekhov; British writer Wilde; French authors Rousseau, Maupassant; German writers Heine, Storm ("The Dream Lake"); Swedish writer Strindberg; Norwegian playwright Ibsen; and Belgian playwright Maeterlinck.

Kobe Sannomiya Station, Kobe, Japan, taken between 1917 and 1919

Yu Dafu's elder brother Yu Mantuo was a member of the Suiouin Society and had deep connections with Sen Kainan and his disciples. Hattori Tanpu (1867-1964) was also a member of the Suiouin Society, and both he and Yu Mantuo published works in the journal "Suiou Collection," being aware of each other. Before Yu Dafu met Mr. Tanpu, he had already published two poems in the Chinese poetry column of the "New Aichi News," which was overseen by Tanpu. Due to these connections, it was natural for Tanpu to be close to Yu Dafu. On May 21, 1916, 21-year-old Yu Dafu visited the Chinese poet Hattori Tanpu in Hirofu Village, Aichi Prefecture. The two poets, nearly thirty years apart in age, became "friends across the years," talking for about an hour. When Yu Dafu was about to leave, Mr. Tanpu accompanied him to the train station, showing his regard for him.

Chinese poet Hattori Tanpu

On September 12 of the same year, Yu Dafu attended a Mid-Autumn Moon Viewing banquet hosted by Tanpu at the Atago Building in Kuwana, where he first composed a seven-character regulated verse, astonishing everyone present. On April 6 and November 9, 1918, he visited Tanpu again, and on the fourth day of the new year the following year, he participated in the New Year celebration. Each time he visited, Yu Dafu would compose poetry on the spot, and Tanpu and his disciples appreciated Yu's talent. Tanpu had a nurturing influence on Yu's early works, frequently recommending his poems for publication in the local newspaper "New Aichi News."

Hattori Tanpu's notes

In the northwest corner of the Toyota Auditorium at Nagoya University, there is a monument inscribed with a relief photo from Yu Dafu's study abroad period and the word "沈沦" (Chénlún, meaning "sinking"). The Nagoya Eighth High School (abbreviated as "Hachiko") that Yu Dafu attended is the predecessor of Nagoya University. This stone monument was erected by the Hachiko Alumni Association to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Nagoya University's establishment and was unveiled on June 30, 1998. It is now an important landmark for those seeking to trace Yu Dafu's time in Nagoya.

While at "Hachiko," in addition to the "New Aichi News," he frequently published poems in the "Alumni Association" magazine. Upon entering Tokyo Imperial University, his Chinese poetry was mainly published in the magazine "Taiyō," edited by Takano Chikuyin. He maintained a close friendship with Tanpu's disciple, Tomonaga Chō, and recalled past experiences, mentioning that in a café in his hometown, he was verbally abused by some young people due to his Chinese identity. He shared a literary affinity with his classmate Fukuda Takeo at Tokyo University, who recalled, "I was always careful not to let him feel inferior as a foreigner." During his studies abroad, Yu Dafu often returned home, and when it was exam time, Fukuda helped him buy materials. Yu Dafu also frequently visited Fukuda's residence, and in winter, Fukuda lent him a padded kimono to wear.

In the accounts of his classmates at "Hachiko" and "Tōdai," Yu Dafu received a generally positive evaluation, noted for his excellent academic performance; proficiency in German; kindness, integrity, and openness as a literary youth. At that time, there was indeed a social atmosphere that looked down on China, and discrimination against Chinese people existed, but they did not harbor "prejudice against Chinese as a weak nation" towards Yu Dafu. Instead, classmates and friends respected him due to his language skills and talent, approaching him warmly. Since Chinese students who returned home after studying abroad generally found good positions or held important roles, Japanese students envied this, even though Yu Dafu seemed to have little connection to fame and success.

In May 2016, a joint exhibition titled "Yu Dafu and Nagoya" was organized by Professor Gao Wenjun of Sakura Gakuen and the Tsuruma Library.

Yu Dafu studied in Japan for ten years, during which Japan was experiencing the flourishing Taisho era. His thoughts and emotions were greatly impacted, and like Lu Xun, who shifted from medicine to literature, he wrote novels such as "The Gray Death," "Sinking," "Southward Migration," "Gastric Disease," "Homesickness," "Wind Chimes," and "Autumn Willows," all while in Japan.

The despair and poverty depicted in his novels, in my view, reflect the needs of literary creation; the weakness of the nation made him feel inferior, and the turbulence of youth and the depression deep within his emotions made him increasingly sensitive. Ishida Kan'no, a classmate of the writer Akutagawa Ryūnosuke and later a historian of Eastern studies, commented on Yu Dafu, saying, "He is not a dark and gloomy person (as portrayed in his works), but rather a generous person."

Members of the Creation Society photographed in Guangzhou in 1926, from left: Wang Duqing, Guo Moruo, Yu Dafu, Cheng Fangwu

On June 8, 1921, he, along with Guo Moruo, Cheng Fangwu, Yu Dafu, Zhang Ziping, Tian Han, Zheng Boqi, and other students studying in Japan, held multiple discussions in Japan and Shanghai, and at Yu Dafu's residence in the Second Kaiseikan of Tokyo Imperial University, they established the early literary group of the "May Fourth" New Culture Movement—Creation Society—utilizing some conditions from the Shanghai Taidong Bookstore.

From 1923 to 1926, he taught at Peking University, Wuchang Normal University, and Guangdong University. After returning to Shanghai at the end of 1926, he presided over the publishing department of the Creation Society, editing "Creation Monthly" and the bi-monthly "Flood," publishing numerous literary essays such as "On Novels" and "On Drama." In January 1927, he published a political essay titled "The Guangzhou Incident," exposing the shortcomings of the Guangdong revolutionary government, which sparked debates within the Creation Society, leading to his withdrawal from the group.

The official announcement was made on September 29, 1921, when the Shanghai "Current Events News" published a notice about the upcoming publication of "Creation Quarterly." After experiencing three major ups and downs, it was closed by the Kuomintang on February 7, 1929. The founding purpose of the Creation Society was to disregard "ideologies" and "schools," gathering a group of literary figures, including Mu Mutian, Tao Jingsun, Wang Duqing, Teng Gu, Hong Shen, Xu Zuzheng, Ni Yide, Ye Lingfeng, and Gong Binglu, reportedly numbering thirty to forty people over time.