Zhai Yongming was born in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, in 1955. After spending time in rural Sichuan as a "sent down youth," Zhai attended a technical college but soon turned to writing poetry. Her groundbreaking poem cycle, "Woman" (published in 1985) received much attention for its forthrightly feminist point-of-view. Zhai's most recent book of poetry, Pretty Words, was published in 2008. A past recipient of the Pamir International Poetry Prize, she currently operates a bar in Chengdu, White Nights, and organizes literary and arts events. She divides her time between Chengdu and Beijing. [Read]