The Cambridge Sock Company City Guide: Reminiscing with Xu Zhimo

As summer approaches, it’s the perfect season to roam Cambridge’s cobbled streets. This afternoon we’ve pulled on our favourite pair of Wainwrights, to wander the Backs, following in hundreds of famous scholars’ footsteps.

One such alumnus is trailblazer of modern Chinese poetry, Xu Zhimo. His short stint in Cambridge as a visiting scholar inspired both his love of romantic verse and some of his most celebrated works. Although he’s a cult literary figure in China, he’s relatively unknown in this country despite the fact that his best-known poems celebrate the quiet beauty of the city of Cambridge.