A nine-year-old child in China has caused great controversy after publishing poems which are deemed “obscene” and “inappropriate for his age.”
The Beijing fourth grader, known as Tietou, has become an internet celebrity after he shared his latest work titled “Lust” on China’s Twitter-like Weibo last month.
“Kissing mum, lust becomes a baby, saying don’t ever want to grow up,” one of the lines read.
In another one titled “Love,” Tietou wrote: “There is no romance between me and mum, I only like her breasts… There is romance between me and my gun.”
Online commentators were largely negative about Tietou’s work. Some said they were “flabbergasted” by the “obscene” lines while others said the child needs to be taught what is proper for his age. However, some defended him, saying children should be allowed to write without restrictions.
Tietou, who started writing poems since the age of six, has been published in multiple literary magazines and newspapers. In August, the Tsinghua University Press published Tietou’s poetry collection.
Despite the fame, the nine-year-old’s work continues to draw criticism.
In May, Tietou received many negative comments on his Weibo page after writing that the Tianjin chemical explosions were “a good thing.”
“Tianjin exploded, then there’s a bright spot on earth. So bright that aliens dare not invade us,” he wrote.
In an op-ed published in the China Youth Daily on Wednesday, Tietou’s journalist mother, who manages her son’s Weibo page, said she is “not a tiger mum” and has no intention to nurture Tietou into a famous poet.
“Writing is the child’s own business, it’s a channel [through which] he chose to express his views of the world,” his mother said.
