2015.1207
NTNU holds Conference on Sinophone Writers
The 2015 International Conference on Sinophone Writers was had a grand opening at the National Central Library from 28 to 29 November 2015. The host Global Chinese Writing Center, NTNU invited 33 scholars and writers in Taiwan and abroad to share their experience in creating and reading in 7 sessions of this conference, which draw a warm welcome from the audience.
Ever since the 21st century, Sinophone Literature have spread some influence in the world, but the meaning and writing of it is waiting to be explored. Hence, Global Chinese Writing Center was in charge of this conference and provide an outlook of contemporary Sinophone Literature through dialogs between writers and commentators.
This event is hosted by Global Chinese Writing Center and sponsored by National Central Library, Trend Education Foundation and Ink magazine. There are several sessions led by famous Chinese writers with a keynote speech and a closing remark.
At the opening ceremony, president Chang Kuo En said that the meaning of this conference is to let writers share their creation path and to promote discussion. “The host is very enthusiastic, just as NTNU, a school that breeds young writers” President Chang added that NTNU has invited Gao Xingjian and Mo Yan as chair professors, and we have produced the musical version of A Tale of Shan Hai Jing, now a symphony concert of Soul Mountain will take place.
Associate Professor of the Department of Chinese, Chen I Chih was the host of the keynote speech, Professor Hong Zi Cheng from Peking University and Professor Lu Cheng Hui from Chongqing University were the speakers that shared their thought about poetry of Taiwan and China. Professor Hong said that poems is a kind of literature that speaks to infinite minority. If poetry becomes normal, the imaginary space it once boost will lost.
Professor Lu shared her opinion in the perspective of linguistic features. He thinks that modern poetry commonly lost the rhythm and the language sense in Chinese. “If we just borrow what Western Modern Poetry, the society is becoming more and more desperate and dimmed.” He hopes to see poems that have both Chinese and Western characteristics in the future.
A famous Chinese writer Xu Zechen, who is a Lu Xun Literature Prize owner gave a closing remark on the second day. “People say that there’s no great writers like Cao Xueqin or Tolstoy, but the key should be, if there’s any great writer or great work, can we recognized them?” He took example from Kafka’s the metamorphosis, at that time, the book was seen offensive, and many years later did it receive the title of “the most influential novel in the 20th century.” He continued, because of the convenience of technology, many creators can’t do what Mo Yan did. “The legendary storytelling is diminishing, this is when writers should create a logic that is explainable to the world.” Last, he greeted everyone as “people on the path of creation”, we must know the complication of the world to discover more facets on creation.