Ma Kai 马凯 is State Councilor and concur-rently Secretary-General of the State Councilof the People's Republic of China. An eminenteconomist and a classical-style poet, he hasauthored Reform： Participation and Rumination,Prices--From Central Planning to MarketRegulation and a good number of othereconomic works. His published poem collec-tions include the Chinese editions of theChants of a Wayfarer and Echoes of the Heart. LingYuan 凌源, is a career translator who wasassistant chief editor of the Beijing ReviewPress and publisher of the former ChineseLiterature Press. His translations over the yearsare found in the English editions of suchjournals and publications as Beijing Review,Chinese Literature, Panda Books and selectedwritings of top state leaders. Among thebooks he has translated into English areChinese Music 20th Century and Beyond(Cengage, 2012), Economic Reform andDevelopment the Chinese Way (Cambridge,2011 ; FLTRP, 2010), Breaking Through (Oxford/FLTRP, 2009), Buddhism--Rituals and MonasticLife (FLP, 2007), Education for 1.3 Billion(Pearson, 2005), and The Land of Silk (FLP, 2002).
Roaming Winter Palace —a seven-character linked regulated poem September 2001 In dusky rain the Winter Palace I roam, And sigh deep o'er what I see wide-eyed. Pillars of granite shore up the imperial dome; To its front portals stairways of marble lead. Splendid gold and jade offer a feast for eyes; Silver chandeliers still allure in pattems varied. Carv'd nymphs seem ready to walk off roof beams; Horses paint'd on pillars may gallop if beckon'd. Embellish'd with jade and gems are the jewelries, Embroider'd red skirts shash'd with laces pearl'd. 七言排律·冬宫感怀 2001年9月 暮雨冬宫漫步吟， 亦惊亦叹感怀深。 花岗岩柱擎皇厦， 大理石阶入殿门。 金璧交辉争占眼， 银灯变换比夺人。 雕梁仙子牵能走， 画栋神驹唤欲奔。 玉嵌琛镶携碧佩， 珠围绣裹伴红裙。 Valuable paintings and sculptures fill corridors; In chambers cut gold and rare stones are piled. Expeditions east and west brought in spoils; Wars fought south and north vassals claim'd. The covet'd throne bewitch'd a host of nobles, Their dagger-axes taint'd with civilian blood. To a boom of cannons2 in the air reverberat'd, A new era set in as a flag rose atop the roofs. When German invaders convuls'd the world, The nation drew global admiration for defense. Its space shuttles captivated a world admiring, With atom bombs to assert global hegemony. All this went to naught on a single evening,3 Where is today this country's past glory? O'er a nation's sapping muscle the wind sighs; Long is its road to rejuvenation and difficult. By a balustrade I recall its ups and downs; Its destiny hinges on what right road to adopt.
