Yu Xiuhua is a Chinese poet who has cerebral palsy, which results in speech and mobility difficulties. Regardless of this impairment, she has written over two thousand poems. Her poem “I Crossed Half of China to Sleep with You” gained popularity through WeChat and in November 2014, the poem magazine published her poems. Because of her disability, as seen in the biographical film Still Tomorrow, she struggles with gaining independence from her abusive marriage with her husband, experiences the societal pressures imposed by gender norms, and expresses her discontent with her emotional relationships and sexuality. Yet, her poem “I Crossed Half of China to Sleep with You” contrasts such representation. For instance, her disability is not mentioned once in her poem. Another example stems from the fact that the narrator of the poem endures several obstacles, overcoming each one just to sleep with someone they love, a relationship strikingly different to the one between Yu Xiuhua and her husband. Finally, instead of being deprived of emotional affection, the narrator of the poem is filled with it. Thus, this agrees with the fact that an artist’s creation can contrast both their physical identity and situation and, most importantly, how despite Yu Xiuhua’s disability, she is able to create strong and impactful poetry.
