China: In Memory of Post-80s Trash Poet, Xiao Zhao · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

On February 14, 2011, 25-year-old poet Xiao Zhao ended his life by jumping off a bridge near his home in Hunan province. While the urban post-80s generation blogging star Han Han has caught the world's attention and become one of “The World's 50 Most Influential Figures in 2010″, Xiao Zhao's short life tells a completely different story of the same generation in China.
His last piece of work is an online biographical fiction, Never eroded: A exiled intellectual's experience in this country in this life（永不磨损：一个流浪知识分子此国此世的闻历见思）, first published on KDnet in December 2010. Below is an excerpt of his writing which comments upon the rural born post-80s generation:
对于广大的生于80年代、生活于小城小镇甚至乡村的人来说，面临的困境基本相似：县级的图书馆中，除了武侠小说之外，很难找到一本封底标价超过5毛的书。 纸张暗黄，像是多年以前擦过屁股，有些还粘着某种来历不明疑似鼻涕的东西；随手一翻，尘封多年的烟灰直扑鼻子，其内容不提也罢。新华书店，一半以上是教 辅。音像店不少，勉强能听的只有老狼。互联网尚未兴起，网上浏览信息还属于将来时。更何况，这些还得在无休无止索然乏味的功课的夹缝中进行。基于以上的原 因，我以为，不应对这一代人过于苛责：那些勇于进取的青蛙们，不是不想看到更多的天空，而是你给的井口只有这么宽。而爬出井口，需要漫长的努力和时间。
Despite his less advantaged rural background, he managed to enter the Nanjing Normal University, one of the best Universities in China. Such opportunity could have help him to climb up the social ladder, instead, he decided to quit his study in 2005. He made a statement on his decision:
首先我想说的是，这游戏我玩了十二年，倘若由着惯性或惯例，做一天和尚撞一天钟，当一天婊子接一天客，—— 得过且过，那么，我还得玩四年。如果“表现够好”，“正是你们想培养的人材”，没准，四年后还得玩下去。没准，还会和你们一样，站在讲台上恬不知耻地说一 些连自己也骗不了的傻话，误人子弟还收钱。除此之外，每年定期不定期人模狗样地参加一系列以“学术”冠名的大会小会，辩论议论争论讨论，和颜悦色勾心斗 角，出书，抄袭，造假，表演，作戏，——只要足够不要脸，保不定混成个“大师”。就说咱这专业吧，谁敢说没蒙过人，屁股干净？但，现在兄弟我不想玩了。
He probably wanted to save himself from the so-called “brain-damaging system” that he mentioned in his last message in KDnet on December 14, 2010, two months before he committed suicide :
我敢拍案：这个国家不是人有没有才华和潜能的问题，是脑残制度的问题。我敢叫绝：这个国家深层来说还不是制度的问题，而是人种问题，各行各业被一帮智商低于零的劣等人种把持。
Xiao Zhao belongs to a newly-emerged Laji (垃圾派) poetic stream, meaning “trash style”. According to the 2009 summit on trash writing, the definition is:
垃圾写作，就是一种让自身腐烂，让灵魂完全堕落，把自己完全融入生活中，去进行大胆的创造和发现，为诗歌写作，开创一片新天地的写作行为。
In August 2010, Xiao Zhao published a 20-point 2010 Trash Declaration, below is a selected translation of some of his points:
3。在这个时代，诗歌本身就已经沦为垃圾。诗人在大众心中的地位，等同于一个捡垃圾的。
4。2009年2月5日，某画廊，行为艺术家片山空当众吃下一盘大便，然后，用屎写了十个大字：“你选择强权，我选择吃屎”。与之相较，徐乡愁的所谓垃圾屎尿写作，只是无关痛痒的呻吟，属于叫春，而不是做爱。
6。垃圾派是一个概念，一个山头，一个场子，一竿旗帜。与其你占据，不如我占据。与其你装逼，不如我装逼。
14。我垃圾，所以我伟大。我垃圾，所以我光荣。我垃圾，所以我正确。我垃圾，所以我反思。
Below is one of Xiao Zhao's most representational poem, My wish is on my way（《我的希望在路上》）, written in March 30 2009:
我希望
在宽广的大路上行走着
没有终点、目的和意义
在前方茂密的苹果树下
有一个孤独地等我的少女
她将拉着我的手继续前行
走到那下一个城市里
那个城市里没有别人