Poetry Societies Held Gatherings at Yu Yuen (Garden of Pleasance) and Cheong’s Garden

After the Xinhai Revolution, a group of scholar-officials of China took refuge in Macao and founded the “Tao” poetry society.” Its members held Tao Yuanming, the renowned “recluse” poet of Eastern Jin dynasty, in great reverence. They often get together at Lin Fong Temple and Yu Yuen (Garden of Pleasance) to compose poetry over a cup of wine. Wang Zhaoyong, Zhang Xuehua and Wu Daorong from Panyu district were the most poetically gifted of all.

Wang Zhaoyong (1861－1939) had as many as 121 of his poems created in Macao collected into the anthology “Annotated Poems and Verses of Macao”.

Members of the “Tao” Poetry Society held regular poetry recitation in Cheong’s Garden. The Chinese ink painting “Meeting at Cheong’s Garden”, under the collection of Macao Museum, depicts the gathering of literati and scholars in the garden.

During early 1920s, the “Xue” poetry society was founded in Macao by a group of teachers. Most of its members carried the word “Xue” in their pseudonym, like Feng Qiuxue of Hainan Island and her younger brother Feng Yinxue. She was the headmistress of Pui Man School and a member of the Macao branch of Tongmenghui (Chinese Revolutionary Alliance) while her brother was a teacher of the School. The Yu Yuen was one of the places where the members held their poetry gatherings.