Chinese Poet Tra Hai Sinh, Prodigy Who Entered Peking University at 15, Dies at 25

Tra Hai Sinh (pen name Hải Tử), born on 24 March 1964 in a poor rural family in Anhui province, was admitted to the law faculty of Peking University at age 15, earning the nickname “the prodigy.” While studying, he began writing poetry in 1982 and published his first notable poem “Dong A Chau” in 1985. Over the next seven years, he traveled across Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, and Tibet, drawing inspiration that resulted in a corpus of nearly two million Chinese characters, including short poems that became popular among youth. His most celebrated piece, “Facing the Sea, Spring Blooms,” was written on 13 January 1989, just two months before his death at age 25. Despite his brief career, Hải Tử is regarded as a major influence on modern Chinese poetry.