Xu Zhimo Iconic Chinese poet

Punting is popular with Chinese tourists

Every year Scholars Punting Cambridge welcomes thousands of visitors from China and its neighboring Taiwan. Although Taiwan has its own language and government, many of the population also speak Mandarin, the primary language throughout China. It is this common language which draws them to see The River Cam and go punting in Cambridge.

Who Xu Zhimo Was

In 1921, Xu Zhimo came to study at King’s College Cambridge and fell in love with romantic poetry. He returned to China a year later, but had written a poem about his leaving Cambridge called “Taking Leave of Cambridge”. The poem describes the beauty of nature around the river and the city, it even directly references The River Cam! By this time punting in Cambridge was a popular pastime for students and it’s almost certain Xu Zhimo enjoyed a punt on the river Cam whilst at King’s College and recommends it in his poem!

Xu Zhimo was a fan of romantic poetry and a fan of romantic relationships. His love affairs were famous in China and his story grew even further following his almost Shakespearean death in 1931 aged just 34.

A string of relationships and marriages were overshadowed by the unrequited love he shared with Lin Huiyin, a married woman he met in London. Whilst Xu Zhimo and Lin Huiyin continued in marriage to other people, Xu Zhimo tragically died in a plane crash in 1931 on the way to see her lecture in China.

King’s College Cambridge erected a monument to Xu Zhimo in 2008. To learn more about his relationships and the poem, jump on a Scholars Punting Tour in Cambridge.