Prelude is Xu Yue's first book of poetry. The poems in this collection were written from 2007 to 2012. They are highly lyrical, and contain a deeply troubled voice. Xu Yue reveals a different reality in his poetry where he carries an ongoing dialogue with what he considers his poetic family members, such as Paul Celan. His pure lyricism is rarely seen in today's poetry from China. Although he is not widely known due to the low profile he has maintained over the years, his work is highly regarded by the best poets in China.