"Is this a flower? It's more than a flower, but the embrace of petals and leaves, the silent harmony of sun and moon." With a hoe in hand and the mountains behind her, Yimeng Erjie (Yimeng Sister) from Shandong works the fields while softly reciting her freshly written poem. Though working in the fields is tiring, it sparks inspiration for Erjie's poetry.
Yimeng Erjie, whose real name is Lyu Yuxia, is a typical rural woman from the Yimeng Mountains. Over the past two years, she has shared plenty of videos on social media without any filters. In one clip, she holds a pale jade melon under the melon trellis and recites, "At dusk, vines twist around my feet, melons drop to the ground," making viewers smile naturally. In another clip, with sweat dripping down her face, she lifts two baskets of sweet potatoes onto her shoulders, walking while asking, "My sweet potatoes are packed in the baskets. Is your roasting stove prepared?" Her most famous poem goes: "Is this spring? No, it is not spring. It is the ripple of time's endless rings, the earth's moving awakening." It was praised by China Central Television (CCTV) as "spring made tangible at this moment." Her vivid, poetic lines have touched an increasing number of online viewers, who fondly call her "the poet of the fields." By turning farm work into poetry, Lyu not only helps viewers better understand rural life but also challenges stereotypes about women in the countryside.
"I've loved Chinese since I was little. My essays were often chosen by teachers as model examples," Lyu recalls. Her love of literature was inspired by her father, a rural teacher. When she was young, her father would share historical stories and recite classical poems while working, quietly planting the seeds of literary passion in her heart. Over the years, Lyu read widely, from poems of Li Bai and Su Dongpo, two of China's most renowned poets, to elegant essays in magazines. Even after graduating from junior high school and starting work at a textile factory, she never gave up on learning.
Amidst the busy life of raising children, farming, and working, writing has become Lyu's spiritual refuge. "Reading and writing bring me joy. Along the way, I have found something I truly love, a place that offers my soul to rest." Night has become her personal time for literature, and when she can't fall asleep, she recites and savors the words she has read. In one corner of her living room, Lyu has carefully laid a white tablecloth with delicate patterns over her desk. On it sit a pen, a notebook, and a stack of books she has recently read. The desk may be modest in size, but it holds her literary dreams.
"I write what I see in my daily life, deeply rooted in the soil. That's why my lines have a simple, down-to-earth style." Lyu jokes that her poems are more like simple rhymes. Instead of writing about snow directly, she calls it "heaven's dusting of sugar and salt" and describes wheat seedlings playfully rolling in the wind. In her works, she portrays bountiful harvests, the changing seasons of the countryside, and the hardworking farmers. Her poems are rooted in the earth, carrying the fragrance of the yellow soil.
It was Lyu's son who first encouraged her to start making short videos, who said, "You'll definitely find people online who understand you." So she picked up her phone to record her life and discovered the key to unlocking her own happiness. Since then, farming by day and writing poetry by night have become her daily routine.
In real life, Lyu often wears the same sincere, bright smile as in her videos. According to her, rural life is not only about hardship but also has a colorful side. "Farmers' hard work is clearly written on my face… what I want to write is something different, the hope and expectation of farmers."
In one video, Lyu stands smiling in the fields, wearing a traditional bamboo hat, and says, "My body is in the orchard, but my heart wanders among the clouds." Today, she is already on her way, from Heze to Jinan to Beijing...She is steadily moving toward a broader world. "Let me rebel just once, to shatter the setting sun and paint the paddies gold," she says.
She dreams of seeing the world beyond her village and learning about different traditions and modern farming techniques. She wants to bring the culture and products of her hometown to the world. "To pack the culture of Yimeng Mountain into my basket and stash it in the trunk of my trusty Wuling." She hopes to put her literary passion into practice and keep growing. If the opportunity arises, she wants to attend a senior university and keep pursuing her dreams.
She dreams of seeing the world beyond her village and learning about different traditions and modern farming techniques. She wants to bring the culture and products of her hometown to the world. "To pack the culture of Yimeng Mountain into my basket and stash it in the trunk of my trusty Wuling." She hopes to put her literary passion into practice and keep growing. If the opportunity arises, she wants to attend a senior university and keep pursuing her dreams.
(Reporters: Yin, Hu, Yan [intern]; Camerapeople: Yin, Hu; Editor: Xing; English Editor: Darius)
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