Reading Lu Xun’s articles has become common memories of Chinese students. From a young age, we study his articles such as From Baicao Garden to Sanuei Study and My Old Home. We get to know Runtu and Kong Yiji under his pen.

Lu Xun was born on Sept. 25, 1881, and his real name is Zhou Shuren. So many years has passed, but Lu Xun’s life experiences still encourage young people. He went to Japan to study medicine as his father died of illness. But seeing the dark side of Chinese society of the early 20th century, he decided to pick up a pen and write stories to show the dark side of society and tradition, trying to enlighten(启迪) people. Lu Xun also liked woodcut paintings(木版画). He started the New Woodcut Movement in the 1930s, encouraging more young artists to focus on woodcut paintings. He thought they were a useful art form to spread knowledge, culture and new ideas.

Though Lu Xun’s works were written in his time, they are still a part of pop culture. His words are often used in stories, videos, emojis and creative products. Lu Xun is also one of the most talked-about writers on the video website. By now, there are more than 13, 600 videos about him with 170 million views, according to the site.

Chinese writer Zhi An thinks it’s a good thing that his voice is still heard. In fact, Lu Xun was the one who was never afraid to draw attention. “Lu Xun was brave enough to fight against the rules. If you wanted him to be silent, he would speak out,” Zhi An wrote.

Du Fu (712—770), one of the greatest poets in China, was born in Gongyi, Henan Province. He is familiar to most of us. However, Du has remained largely unknown in the Western world.

The BBC’s documentary Du Fu: China’s Greatest Poet introduces the great poet. As the first English-language documentary about Du, it lasts for an hour and it compares him to Dante and Shakespeare, two of the greatest masters of literature(文学) of the West.

The documentary explains why Du’s works have been popular for centuries. “Chinese people really value the recording of history and Du is better than anyone at reflecting history in his poetry. Because historical events are mirrored in his own life and spiritual journey.” said Zeng Xiangbo, a professor at Renmin University of China.

Du lived under the rule of the Tang Emperor Xuanzong (712—756) and he was a civil servant (文职人员) in the Tang court (朝廷). But as the An Lashan Rebellion of 755 floored the empire, he took his family on the road as refugees (难民), and had to stand hunger and poverty (贫穷). Through ups and downs, the poet never stopped writing, pouring out his concern for his country and people, as well as celebrating the simple joys of life. Known as China’s “saint of poetry”, he wrote about 1,500 poems that are still with us today.

Have you ever heard of English Language Day? It was first celebrated on 23rd April, 2010. It was chosen on such a day because Shakespeare was born on April 23rd, 1564. The purpose of it is to tell people the history, culture and achievements of the language.

The story of the English language began when Germanic tribes (部落) invaded (入侵) Britain and brought their languages with them. Later, Scandinavian Vikings invaded and lived with their languages too. In 1066, Norman-French became the language of the official activity.

By Shakespeare’s time, modern English had developed. Printing had been invented and people had to start to agree on “correct” spelling and vocabulary (词汇). In both 1500s and 1600s, the English language was going through a lot of changes. And Shakespeare’s creativity in the language meant he gave hundreds of new words and phrases that are still used today. Shakespeare influenced modern English greatly.