CCCH9043-Chinese Poetry as Social Critique

Title

CCCH9043-Chinese Poetry as Social Critique

Subject

China: Culture, State and Society

Description

This course introduces students to fundamental social and political issues at different periods in Chinese history through the primary source of poetic texts. As the relationship between the populace and the state has changed throughout history, so, too, have poetic forms. Our sources range from poems in the Book of Songs that protest the decadence of kings to contemporary avant-garde poets resisting political and cultural conformity. We explore the power of poetry and how it can convey radical messages obliquely, through symbolic imagery and imagined speakers, hence evading censorship by the regime. Students will also be given the opportunity to experiment writing their own poetry in different forms and genres.

References

Cai, Z.- Q. (Ed.). (2008). How to read Chinese poetry: A guided anthology. New York: Columbia University Press.
van Crevel, M. (2008). Chinese poetry in times of mind, mayhem and money. Leiden: Brill.
Yang, B. -B. (2012). Disruptive voices: Three cases of outspoken ‘exemplary women’ in nineteenth-century China. In Nan nü: Men, women, and gender in China, 14(2): 222-61.
Yeh, M., & Malmqvist, N. G. D. (Eds.) (2001). Frontier Taiwan: An anthology of modern Chinese poetry. New York: Columbia University Press.

Items in the CCCH9043-Chinese Poetry as Social Critique Collection

Poster of students’ poems
The poster showed on Student Learning Festival introduces 5 students' poem, including 《凍奶茶》(Ice Milk Tea), 《雨》(Rain), 《他》(He), 《餘音》(lingering music), and Falling Leaves.

凍奶茶
The poem was written by a student throughout learning of the course (Chinese Poetry as Social Critique), which covers Chinese history, politics and poetry. Students were given the opportunity to experiment writing their own poetry in different forms…

麻雀
The poem was written by a student throughout learning of the course (Chinese Poetry as Social Critique), which covers Chinese history, politics and poetry. Students were given the opportunity to experiment writing their own poetry in different forms…

苦夜吟
The poem was written by a student throughout learning of the course (Chinese Poetry as Social Critique), which covers Chinese history, politics and poetry. Students were given the opportunity to experiment writing their own poetry in different forms…

大學街
The poem was written by a student throughout learning of the course (Chinese Poetry as Social Critique), which covers Chinese history, politics and poetry. Students were given the opportunity to experiment writing their own poetry in different forms…

無題
The poem was written by a student throughout learning of the course (Chinese Poetry as Social Critique), which covers Chinese history, politics and poetry. Students were given the opportunity to experiment writing their own poetry in different forms…

The Waterfall
The poem was written by a student throughout learning of the course (Chinese Poetry as Social Critique), which covers Chinese history, politics and poetry. Students were given the opportunity to experiment writing their own poetry in different forms…

無題
The poem was written by a student throughout learning of the course (Chinese Poetry as Social Critique), which covers Chinese history, politics and poetry. Students were given the opportunity to experiment writing their own poetry in different forms…

骨塔
The poem was written by a student throughout learning of the course (Chinese Poetry as Social Critique), which covers Chinese history, politics and poetry. Students were given the opportunity to experiment writing their own poetry in different forms…

喻緣
The poem was written by a student throughout learning of the course (Chinese Poetry as Social Critique), which covers Chinese history, politics and poetry. Students were given the opportunity to experiment writing their own poetry in different forms…

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