June 25, 2010

I have just received a copy of a new publication on Matteo Ricci. It is a collection of articles entitled Portrait of a Jesuit: Matteo Ricci 利瑪竇 1552-1610, the first in the Jesuitas Publications Series published by the Macau Ricci Institute. As explained in the foreword, this collection is dedicated to Matteo Ricci ‘on the occation of the worldwide commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the death of Father Matteo Ricci, S.J. in Beijing on 11 May 1610.’

The four articles in the collection are: ‘The Background of Matteo Ricci: The Shaping of his Intellectual and Scientific Endowment’ and ‘Matteo Ricci’s Ascent to Beijing’ by Gianni Criveller, ‘The Portrait of Matteo Ricci’ and ‘Matteo Ricci, the Nantang, and the Introduction of Roman Catholic Church Architecture to Beijing’ by César Guillén Nuñez.

The first two articles are mainly biographical about Ricci’s life and achievements. The third article is about Ricci’s portrait painted by Brother You Wenhui, and the last article is about the construction of a Catholic church in Beijing.

Subsequent volumes in this series will be devoted to studies of other Portuguese Jesuits including Alessandro Valignano (1539-1606), Melchior Carneiro (1516-1583) and Tomás Pereira (1645-1708). This will undoubtedly contribute to a better understanding of the history of Jesuits in Asia. Each title in the series will be available in two versions, English and Chinese (simplified characters).

Written by: Audrey

June 15, 2010

The 41st Poetry International Festival started last Friday and runs for a week. The event held annually in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, is a platform for poets from all over the world to read and enjoy their work. This year there will be poets from countries such as Afghanistan, Brazil, South Korea, Sudan, Russia, and the United States.

In the past quite a number of Chinese poets performed and gained international exposure, e.g. Duo Duo, Bei Dao, Xiao Kaiyu, Che Qianzi, Yi Sha. This year, however, according to the programme, no Chinese poet has been included. But there is also a related site Poetry International Web, where you can find Chinese poems in English translation permanently and which includes poets like Xi Chuan, Zhai Yongming, Han Dong, and others.

Written by: Audrey

June 9, 2010

Soon CCIV will launch the new exhibition ‘Cooked Soul and Fried Land: Artistic Footprints by Liu Guoyu’, with the opening ceremony scheduled for Friday 18 June 2010. Landscape paintings and calligraphy by Liu Guoyu will be on display.

Liu Guoyu (1942-), a native of Wengyuan, Guangdong, started his art studies in the late 1960s, but due to times of turmoil he was sent to work in the countryside. It was not until 1979 that Liu finally could devote himself to artistic pursuits. Eventually his success in painting, calligraphy and poetry led him to fame. Since the 1990s Liu has focussed on ‘burnt ink’ (焦墨jiaomo) landscape painting and he has had his work displayed at exhibitions in Canton, Shaoguan and Hong Kong.

From the images that I have seen, Liu’s paintings are mostly dark and sombre, which of course is a result of using the jiaomo technique. This might also be a reflection of the difficult and dark times that Liu has been through, as the title also indicates.

The details are as follows:
Exhibition period: 18 June-1 August 2010
Opening hours: 10am-7pm daily
Venue: CityU Gallery, 6/F Amenities Building, City University of Hong Kong
Enquiries: (852) 3442 2477

Written by: Audrey

June 1, 2010

The first issue of Chinese Literature Today, a new journal publishing Chinese Literature in English translation will be published over summer by the University of Oklahoma in conjunction with the long-standing journal World Literature Today. A quote from the journal’s ‘mission’ statement: “CLT’s mission is to provide high-quality English translations of the best of Chinese literature. CLT will feature both original literary works and groundbreaking critical essays. All genres of fiction and non-fiction are welcome, from poetry, short story, novella, and novel excerpts to literary essay and memoir. Book reviews, news, interviews, and visual arts will complete CLT’s coverage of China’s modern arts.”

It is good to have a new journal to promote further exposure to Chinese literature. Existing journals publishing Chinese literature in English translation include Renditions published by the Research Centre for Translation at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Taipei Chinese Pen published by Taipei Chinese Center, International Pen, and Taiwan Literature English Translation Series published by the University of California, Santa Barbara. Such publications help reach a wider readership and showcase the wide range of Chinese works available. It may also bring about a different view of Chinese works which readers may have. I would encourage those who are not familiar with works of Chinese literature to take a look at the websites of these journals. Links are provided above.

Written by: Audrey