Words, Images, and Sounds: One Hour in Chinese Literature

2017 CHIN481 Final Performance/ 2017 文学课期末表演

Report on Words, Images, and Sounds: One Hour in Chinese Literature

Hu Yingyilong, student reporter

Thursday, Nov. 23, 2017

 

For video and more photos, please visit https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1B8L_p5pWMx3qJfF41MSBiYKg6E_z5SMU?usp=sharing

 

The CHIN 481 in the Asian Studies Department at UBC organized a one-hour presentation for its undergraduate students and other passengers who were interested in Chinese literature on the 23rd of November 2017. Its objective was to provide the students and the public audience an opportunity to appreciate the spirit of Chinese literature through different ways(words, images, sounds)and to display students’ interpretation of Chinese literature. Within this one-hour event, fifteen performers participated and presented what they have heard, felt, and seen in the written word by some modern Chinese writers in the first half of the 20th century. The event started at 11 am at the Asian Centre Auditorium in Vancouver campus at UBC, with audience of more than one hundred people.

On Thursday morning, students from CHIN 481 arrived at the auditorium before 11 am. Performers were there even earlier to prepare for the event and had a short rehearsal with group members. An email had been sent to the audience with the event program so they were prepared for a program upon the auditorium. Performers were divided into seven groups and each group had unique styles. After Dr. Xiaowen XU, instructor of CHIN 481, gave a brief host speech, the event kicked off with a Mad Man in the Iron House: LU Xun, in which Qianmei ZHAN, Mingyuan XIAO, Yingyilong HU introduced Lu Xun (1881-1936) and his two short stories. Secondly, Yuewen TANG presented her analysis of Xiao Hong, introducing Xiao Hong (1911-1942) and her unique style of writing. Thirdly, Yue ZHU, Jiani SU, Mengji DENG brought The Brightest Star in the Night Sky: Guo Moruo, introducing a poem by Guo Moruo (1892-1978). Then, Yingyilong HU performed, a musical presentation of Chance, a poem by Xu Zhimo (1897-1931). After that Boyu BAO enchanted the audience with his powerful interpretation and recital of The Deadwater, a poem by Wen Yiduo (1899-1946). Next, Vicissitudes of the Fortune, a mini-play adapted from a short story by Mu Shiying (1912-1940), was acted by Ziqing ZHU, Yongli SHI, Yuxuan CHEN. The whole program ended with a successful and postmodern mini-play adaptation The Target from a short story by Lu Xun, and the performers in the play, Crystal FAN, Claire ZHAO, Daisy LIU, and Abigail ZHANG, were applauded by the whole audience enthusiastically.

This one-hour Chinese literature finished at 12:15 pm. Dr. XU spoke shortly to thank all participants. All the performers, the professors, and all the public audience were very excited throughout the 60-minute journey to discover the beauty of modern Chinese literature in a multimedia manner.

It was an exciting day for Asian Studies Department and participants who wanted to learn more about Chinese literature were filled with lots of memories of an educational day. It highlighted the importance of the Chinese literature and a spirit of Chinese culture to those future learners as well.