Research trip focuses on Chinese poetry

Dr Samantha Walton, Lecturer in English and Creative Writing, travelled to China this summer with the support of a Research Travel grant.

After participating in intensive classes in Modern Standard Chinese run at the Confucius Centre for Scotland in Edinburgh, she received the grant through an innovative AHRC-funded programme designed to foster language skills and cultural competency in early career academics.

She said: 'I was interested in studying Chinese because I wanted to gain the language skills and cultural knowledge necessary to explore contemporary Chinese writing.

'In the long-run, I hoped to develop a better understanding of Chinese poetry and its influence on Western modernist and experimental poetry.

'With a developing understanding of Mandarin and an enthusiastic appreciation of Chinese culture and literary history, the grant meant I was able to travel around North Eastern China, improving my language skills and enriching my understanding of the cultural and social conditions of production of poetry I admire by Guo Lusheng, Bei Dao and Yang Lian.

'Experiencing both modern and Classical Chinese culture has enriched my writing and given me valuable introductions to elements which are of persistent interest in Chinese poetry – Taoism, political critique and a fascination with the natural world.'

Samantha is both a poet and a researcher and intends to continue learning Mandarin and researching Chinese verse.

Her responses to language training and Chinese poetry can be found on the blog she kept during the trip – www.chineseforpoets.wordpress.com

Dr Walton hopes to produce more formal research on Chinese poetry in the future.

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