Poetry, Culture and Politics in a Foreign Land

Moving to China was a challenge. I was in my early 50’s, could not speak Mandarin Chinese and there are only so many YouTube clips you can watch in order to try and understand the ‘culture’ of a country. Three years later I am still living and working in China teaching medical English to clinical medical students. One of the reasons for my longevity in China is an increasing awareness and understanding of Chinese culture. Much of this understanding has been based on an examination of the similarities and differences between Chinese poetry and Western poetry.
What I have learnt is that the traditional cultural values that influence the psyche of the Chinese people are benevolence, harmony, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, loyalty, honesty and filial piety. These attributes influence China’s national psychology and identity and can be identified in Chinese poetry. I have also learned the importance of poetry to many Chinese people.
Much of my time outside of my work has been devoted to reading and analyzing Chinese poems, or how to read Chinese poetry in context. Through my reading I have begun to gain some insight into the key role that poetry has played in Chinese diplomacy, court politics, empire building, and institutionalized learning; as well as how poems shed light on gender and women’s status and the current economic and social developments within China.
However, this characterization of my time in China is not one that is entirely based on a devotion to understanding Chinese poetry. I have had the opportunity to introduce western poetic traditions to many of the Chinese I have met. Works of significant literary merit that have been instrumental in shaping Western culture and modes of thought are used in my teaching and day-today conversations. From Homer and his ancient epic poems about the Trojan War and one warrior’s journey home from the war, through to the confessionalist poets, such as Sylvia Plath and beyond.
A few months ago I was invited by a local bookshop to give a public talk on ‘Why We Need Poetry’. The shop was packed with students and local people, partly curious about a ‘foreigner’ in town, but also about the question. In order to engage the audience I decided to begin by talking about love, or at least the concepts of poetic love.
Western poetry places a focus on love between people. Whereas traditional Chinese poetry sees ‘love’ more like ‘friendships’ between equals, with a focus on loyalty, patriotism and humanitarianism. I mentioned the works of celebrated Tang and Song dynasty poets such as Li Bai, Du Fu, Li Shangyin, Su Shi and Li Qingzhao. I recommend or reconnected them to the famous lines from the Song Dynasty poet 辛弃疾 (Xin Qiji), that is:
“众里寻她千百度,蓦然回首,那人却在,灯火阑珊处”
(Hundreds and thousands of times, for her I searched in crowds, suddenly I turned by chance, where the lights were waning, and there she stood).
I contrasted this by reading some poetry from Bob Dylan:
The guilty undertaker sighs
The lonesome organ grinder cries
The silver saxophones say I should refuse you
The cracked bells and washed-out horns
Blow into my face with scorn
But it’s not that way, I wasn’t born to lose you
“I Want You” (Blonde on Blonde, 1966)
In learning about Chinese culture through an understanding of Chinese poetry, and by sharing my own poetical traditions with Chinese people, we are both able to see that poetry comes in a variety of sophisticated, musical forms and styles. Both traditions employ archetypal themes that include the
majesty of the natural world, as well as the social, economic and political context of these worlds. More and more people outside of China are becoming aware and interested in Chinese poetry. Within China there is now a renewed interest in traditional Chinese poetry.
One of the central tenants of traditional Chinese poetics, the value of literature lies in its capacity to “convey the way” ((道 Dao, alternatively transcribed as Tao), to praise, for instance, a virtuous ruler, or remonstrate with one unworthy of the throne. This concept seems to resonance with many people in the West, who are increasingly dissatisfied with their ‘leaders’ and the wider social, economic and cultural context of their lives. At the same time the notion of literature to convey the Way (文以载道) doesn’t contradict with western concepts of finding alternatives to modern living. A recent article published in the New Yorker in 2017 by Louis Menard “Can Poetry Change Your Life,” argued that poetry does have a rightful place in the world, and poetry can change your life and your ability to inspire others.
In order to begin to understand what is to be ‘Chinese’, I chose to understand the nature of Chinese poetry. Of course this is only one aspect of the culture of a country, but it has given me a way to understand how language and symbol systems work in China. It is a worthy expression of emotion, or deep feelings, and aesthetics, and gives me a sense of what is beautiful about the world within and outside of China. Poetry has also been a great way to build community and the beginnings of understanding within the medical-English classroom.
