Prof Cai, Director of the Advanced Institute for Global Chinese Studies of Lingnan University will host the new series How to Read Chinese Literature.
Lingnan University’s Advanced Institute for Global Chinese Studies (AIGCS) will launch a new series of How to Read Chinese Poetry, on 1 March 2024. This knowledge transfer project promotes Chinese literature and culture globally, narrating Chinese stories through poetry. The new programme is presented in three series: “Chinese Videos: Sounds of Tang Poetry”, “English Videos: From the Book of Poetry to Qing Dynasty Poetry”, and “Chinese Videos: From the Book of Poetry to Qing Dynasty Poetry”. The first two series were released in 2023, and have been viewed two million times.
The new series of How to Read Chinese Poetry will still be hosted by Prof Cai Zongqi, Director of the Advanced Institute for Global Chinese Studies of Lingnan University. In “Chinese Videos: Sounds of Tang Poetry”, he analyses and interprets the tonal patterns of Tang poetry preserved in Cantonese, explaining the fundamental principles of regulated verse that convey Chinese poetry and culture. The new series will be broadcasted in video format with images and text, in order to show a complete picture of the evolution of Chinese poetry, and help the audience to understand its historical development. The fourth and fifth series, “From the Book of Poetry to Qing Dynasty Poetry”, are presented in English and Chinese respectively, and clearly explain the history and development of Chinese poetry in order to assist in the interpretation of ancient Chinese poetry in both languages.
The first How to Read Chinese Poetry English podcast was broadcast in February 2022, when Prof Cai invited 14 prominent scholars to participate in the online forum to discuss their passion for and appreciation of Chinese poetry. This podcast in English featured 17 fascinating topics in 55 episodes. It was played 133,914 times in 97 countries and regions, achieving a remarkable global impact, and earning warm praise from audiences of different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. The second series, How to Read Chinese Poetry Chinese Videos: Artistic Vision of Tang Poetry, started in February 2023, and its 34 episodes provided in-depth interpretations of classical poetry in the Chinese-speaking world. The official account now has 83,388 followers, and has been viewed 1,867,401 times on major platforms such as Bilibili, YouTube, Xiaohongshu, and TikTok.
To learn more about the programme, please visit:
Details of the new series:
3rd Series: How to Read Chinese Poetry Chinese Videos: Sounds of Tang Poetry
Tang poetry is known for its beautiful artistic conception, and also represents a pinnacle in the history of rhyme development. As a poetic form with the strictest constraints on tonal patterns, both jueju (絕句) and lüshi (律詩) epitomise Chinese poets' feats in formalising and enhancing the natural order of the Chinese language.
This latest programme will analyse the preserved Middle Chinese tones in Cantonese, explore the fundamental principles of the regulated verse, and introduce the traditional approaches to understanding the rhymes and sounds of Tang poetry. It shows how to master the correct representation of tonal patterns, thereby giving insight into the cultures and values expressed in Tang poetry. The second series of Chinese videos is scheduled to air from 1 March 2024.
4th Series: How to Read Chinese Poetry English Videos: From the Book of Poetry to Qing Dynasty Poetry
This series is a “videolisation” of selected English podcast episodes broadcast in 2022. It covers from the Book of Poetry to Qing Dynasty poetry, presenting a comprehensive overview of the evolution of Chinese poetry. This approach provides a more holistic understanding of the historical development of Chinese poetry. The English video series is scheduled for the second half of 2024.
5th Series: How to Read Chinese Poetry Chinese Video: From the Book of Poetry to Qing Dynasty Poetry
The final series is the Chinese version of the fourth series, scheduled for release at the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025.
