Lecture by Associate Professor Dr. Li Cheng in the seventeenth talk of the "Tan Lark Sye Lecture Series"
The 17th session of the "Tan Lark Sye Lecture Series," organized by the Institute of International Education, New Era University College (IIE, NEUC) and the Tan Lark Sye Institute, was held on 26 April. The guest speakers for this event was Associate Professor Dr. Li Cheng, from the Department of Ancient Chinese Literature at the School of Literature, Central China Normal University. It was attended by more than 150 people.
Dr. Li Cheng holds a Ph.D. in Literature from Central China Normal University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the School of Literature, Nanjing University. He is currently an associate professor in the Department of Ancient Chinese Literature at the School of Literature, Central China Normal University, and a master's supervisor. His research focuses primarily on Ming and Qing dynasty literature and documents, with interests including Ming and Qing poetry criticism, ancient Chinese novels, and the compilation and study of Qing dynasty ci poetry documents.
In this lecture, Dr. Li will explore the writing of seasonal festivals in Chinese classical ci poetry, focusing on the Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu) and the Qixi Festival. China's traditional seasonal culture has a long history and still holds an important place in people's daily lives today. Ci poetry, being a highly lyrical literary form, offers rich and detailed depictions of these seasonal events. Using examples from ci poems on the Dragon Boat Festival and Qixi, Dr. Li will discuss the multiple meanings conveyed by poets over the generations, providing both historical and contemporary perspectives on China's seasonal cultural traditions and the evolution of ci poetry. The event was moderated by Ms Phang Hui Ting from NEUC. It received enthusiastic feedback, with the audience actively participating in the Q&A session and eagerly engaging in discussions.
