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Try Shelley or Keats for a good night’s sleep
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EDITOR’S note:
WECHAT, the popular online social networking app, is home to many public accounts, where people with a particular field of interest publish useful and entertaining information.
Shanghai Daily is introducing a new series to meet the people behind the public accounts and see what motivates them. We welcome reader suggestions about public accounts worth a closer look.
What's the last thing you do before falling asleep?
Many people will probably answer that they scroll through their smartphones, talking with friends or playing games. But that might not be the most sublime door to dreamland.
In fact, thousands of people have found a much more relaxing way to end the day. They read a poem on the WeChat public account “Shuiqiandushoushi,” or “Read a Poem before Sleep.”
Fan Zhixing, 38, operation director of a new media company based in Shanghai, started the subscription account in March 2013, when he was courting a woman who loved poetry.
“Every night, I sent her a message at 10pm, recommending a poem with a related picture and a bit of commentary, and an audio recitation of the poem,” said Fan, himself a poetry lover.
Having worked for several magazines since 2007, Fan was interested in the opportunities of new media. He also started his online poetry site as an experiment in new media management.
“I've never regarded our subscribers as the audience of traditional media,” he said. “I wanted them to join me in content production. Unlike traditional media, there is almost no threshold in do-it-yourself media.”
Love of verse
It wasn’t long before poetry fans caught on to his site. Some have volunteered to work with him, and he now has more than 30 contributors who help select poems and illustrations, and write commentaries. None are professionals, but they are joined by their love of verse.
Their diversity of backgrounds and interests is reflected in the poems that appear on the site. Some are written by ancient Chinese poets, others by literary legends like Shakespeare, Yeats and Tagore. Sometimes, the contributors even submit their own creations.
Thankfully, everyone works for free, Fan said. So the main cost of maintaining the site is time.
“It’s a relatively easy job because we recommend only one poem a day,” he said.
“I usually spend an hour or two on preparation when I’m the on-duty editor. For me, those hours are relaxing. It’s not sacrifice; it’s rewarding.”
Though his courtship failed, his poem-reading account has flourished. Its subscribers surpassed 10,000 after three months and reached 160,000 this month.
“I love this account,” said Sun Limei, a subscriber who reads a poem every night.
“There’s such an abundance of choice and the poems are very touching. They’re perfect for reading before I go to sleep.”
She said her favorite poem is titled: “I Want to Waste Time With You.”
“From childhood, we’re told not to waste time, so we’re always rushing around,” Sun said.
“This poem knocks that idea on the head. It talks about watching fish swim, gazing at clouds and taking leisurely strolls with no destination in mind.”
Wang Yanhui, another follower, wholeheartedly agrees.
“Our fast-paced life lacks poetic rhythm. I don’t think it should be like that. Most bedtime reading focuses on children. We should all be children in that sense,” she said.
The site has galvanized some poetry lovers to seek offline activities together where they can exchange their feelings about how verse affects their lives.
“Poetry lovers are often lonely people, but not when they’re together,” Fan said.
“I want the platform to give them the chance to share the joy and beauty offered by this form of expression.”
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