Ai Qing (born March 27, 1910, Jinhua, Zhejiang province, China—died May 5, 1996, Beijing) was a Chinese poet whose free verse was influential in the development of xinshi (“new poetry”).. The son of a well-to-do landowner, Ai Qing was encouraged to learn Western languages. He studied painting in Paris from 1928 to 1932, and he developed an appreciation for Western literature.