Rural China Book of the Month (March 2025): Moonlight Rests on My Left Palm: Poems and Essays by Yu Xiuhua
A Raw Portrait of Life and Survival in Rural China
Why This Book Matters
Moonlight Rests on My Left Palm matters because it challenges the soft, sugar-coated versions of rural life so often depicted in Chinese poetry and the Western gaze. Yu’s work demands readers step away from the myth of idyllic countryside living, instead plunging them into the harsh realities of rural existence—where the promise of peace from labour often gives way to “grief and sorrow.” Her refusal to be cast as a symbol of victimhood, despite her cerebral palsy, speaks to a broader rebellion against social expectations, offering a voice to the overlooked and misunderstood.
About the Author
Yu Xiuhua first gained attention for her viral poem Crossing Half of China to Fuck You, a raw and unfiltered piece that ignited discussions about gender, desire, and literary rebellion in contemporary Chinese poetry. Born in 1976 in the rural province of Hubei, Yu grew up with cerebral palsy, facing both physical and societal challenges. She is an artist who refuses to conform to any one identity—whether it’s the stereotype of the disabled woman or the rural poet—and uses her writing to express her lived reality, which is both deeply personal and, in its honesty, universal. Her poetry offers no easy answers or resolutions, only a hard-earned truth.
A Word on the Translation
Fiona Sze-Lorrain, a poet and translator, is integral in bringing Yu’s work to an English-speaking audience. Known for her sensitivity to both the subtleties and emotional depth of the original Chinese texts, Sze-Lorrain captures the rawness of Yu’s voice while maintaining the integrity of her poetry. A seasoned translator, she has a deep understanding of Chinese literature and a keen ability to preserve the lyrical beauty of Yu’s words. Her careful translation ensures that the starkness and sincerity of Yu’s poems and essays are conveyed without losing their emotional impact, making this collection accessible to readers outside of China.
A Raw Portrait of Rural Life: The Contradictions of Survival
In Moonlight Rests on My Left Palm, Yu Xiuhua offers a stark, unromanticised look at life in rural China. Far from the idealised landscapes of bridges and flowing water, her work paints a picture of hard labour, societal expectations, and personal resilience. Through poems like Callosity, she explores complex family dynamics, and in essays such as My Crazy Love Feels More Like Despair, she addresses misinterpretations of her life and art. Her refusal to romanticise her suffering or cater to the media’s expectations makes her voice all the more potent. This is not a book of triumph over adversity, but one that acknowledges the messiness and contradictions of survival.
Master List of Rural China Book of the Month
December 2024: Pang, Xiaowei. Farmer: Photographic Portraits. 18 March 2023.
January 2025: Ang, Yuen Yuen. China’s Gilded Age: The Paradox of Economic Boom and Vast Corruption. 9 July 2020.
February 2025: Ash, Alec. The Mountains Are High: A Year of Escape and Discovery in China’s Rural Enclaves. 2024.
March 2025: Yu, Xiuhua. Moonlight Rests on My Left Palm: Poems and Essays. Translated by Fiona Sze-Lorrain. 2021.