Chinese poet Ba Jin dies

Chinese poet Ba Jin, revered by his people for pre-PRC novels that depicted the evils of feudal society, died in Shanghai, sparking a national outpouring of respect and recognition, state media reported. Born Li Feigan in 1905, he changed his name to the first and last syllables, respectively, of the surnames of two Russian anarchist thinkers, Michael Bakunin and Peter Kropotkin. He remained absorbed by themes of universal love and revolution throughout his life. He was rehabilitated after the Cultural Revolution and even set up a museum in Guangdong to commemorate victims of the Cultural Revolution. He is best-known for his semi-autobiographical trilogy Family (1937), Spring (1938), and Autumn (1940).