清华大学 | Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies ( 清华 IUP 中文中心)
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IUPeople
Volume 2, Issue 5 March 2009
Hong Kong), USA, the UK, Australia, and Singapore.
Letter from the Director
If you are in Beijing at the time, I hope you can come
and listen to some of the panels, it will be at the
UNIS International Exchange Center outside
Tsinghua's East Gate. Please see the website for
conference details!
http://depts.washington.edu/acclhome/
This issue is great, representing the rich
interest in the literature and the arts in this cohort of
IUPers, which is by no means unusual. Kitty
Poundstone reports on our literary translation group,
and our minstrel/troubador Alan Gaskill, a musical
soul if I ever met one, reflects on how the past few
months at IUP have contributed to his musical
development.
On this theme, going forward we will be
coordinating fine arts related activities with the help
of the Arts Forum, one of many other common
(l-r) IUP Director Charles Laughlin, ’79 alum John Grobowski,
interest fora emerging from our diverse student group.
and IUP Executive Director Tom Gold at the alumni event “79ers:
Recently I discovered that we actually have at least
30 years of Reform and Opening through the Eyes of Early
three alumni who run galleries in Beijing's art
Liuxuesheng”
districts, and since there are always students with fine
arts interests at IUP, the potential for wonderful
activities is great.
Spring is here! This month is a big one for The same is probably true in areas of
IUP alumni; on Tuesday March 24 we honored one of Environment and NGOs, Economics and Finance,
the early groups of American students and scholars, International Relations and U.S.-China Relations, etc.
who came to study in China in February 1979, many of All we need is student impetus and IUP will step up
them alums from the Taipei years, at a banquet at to the plate with funding and logistics. All these
Poly Plaza, complete with slides and 1979 music! Tom interests are addressed by our evolving relationship
Gold, IUP's Executive Director (also at Fudan with the Brookings Tsinghua Center, where we have
University in 1979), was also in town, and moderated an alum working as an intern and where they have
the panel discussion. excellent workshops, lectures, and conferences on all
I would also like to direct everyone's attention these interest areas.
to an important academic event, \"Writers, Scholars, I wish everyone a happy and productive late
and Critics: Public Intellectuals and Chinese spring!
Literature,\" sponsored by IUP, Tsinghua School of
Humanities and Social Science, and the Association of
Chinese and Comparative Literature (ACCL), to take
Inside:
place at Tsinghua June 19-21. There will be over 70 + Spring Travel Tips
papers delivered over 2 1/2 days, with many important
+ Musical Talents at IUP
Chinese literature scholars from China (including
+ Translation Interest Group

中文介绍:
http://destguides.ctrip.com/china/nanjing/district9
/sight.html
英文介绍:
http://www.chinatravel.net/Nanjing-
guide/introduction/64.html
中国的春天
中国的春天
by 贾玉婷, IUP Program Assistant
四月四日开始起，IUP 会有一个小小的九
天假期，有时候同学会问我们：这个假期去中国
的哪里好？除了上面提到的浙江省，江苏省，云
四，五月的中国是春暖花开的季节。通常
南省，你也可以去湖南的张家界看喀斯特地貌，
人们在形容这个季节的时候，会说“生机勃勃，
或者安徽省看中国人盛赞的“归来不看山”的黄
春意盎然”。但是今年北京的春天似乎晚了一
山，到江西省看遍地油菜花的婺源乡村，或者到
点，冬天长了一些，以至于直到现在，虽然城内
闽南地区去享受宁静的厦门海滩和客家人的功夫
护城河畔的桃花，迎春花已经开了，但是时常擦
茶。除了流利的中文之外，也许大家也能在风景
面而过的北风还是刮的凛冽干脆。在这个季节的
中更深的体会到中国的人文情怀。在 IUP 五楼
中国北方，比如东北三省（崔越老师的家在东北
的学生休息室外面有一张很精彩的中国地形图，
大连），西北地区，甚至还会隔三岔五的下大
大家也可以对照那张图看看：你是更喜欢爬山
雪，降冰雹。当然，冰雪覆盖下的东北地区的长
呢？还是看海？还是沙漠？还是草原？
白山脉，是非常美丽的。
中国有句老话“读万卷书，行万里路”，愿
相对而言，中国的南方地区就要温和的
大家在不同的风景里享受生命！
多，比如，浙江的杭州，云南的元阳（孙弘毅老
师老家在云南丽江），那里柳枝新绿，梯田蜿
蜒，气候宜人。又比如咱们 IUP 五月九日要去
的旅游目的地：南京（李璐老师正是南京
人）。
五月去南京是一个特别合适的季节。为什
么这么说呢？挨着长江，中国南方的冬天湿冷阴
Mark Your Calendars!
寒，而且屋子里可没有北方地区司空见惯的暖
气。而夏天，江水蒸烘下的南京又非常闷热潮
Spring Semester Break
April 4-12
湿。可以说，长江沿岸的大小地区都是这样的气
候，比如重庆（余燕老师家在那里），武汉（我
IUP Day Trip to Pingguoyuan
的老家）。只有五月这个短短的春季，气温正合
On Saturday, April 25 IUPers will go to the
适，春光正明媚，我们可以好好的享受这个“六
Pingguoyuan area in southwest Beijing to view the
朝古都”。
blossoming trees and flora welcoming spring
中国古代，曾经有六个朝代在南京建都，
IUP Lecture Series 4: Matthew Ferchen
给这个城市留下了很多很有价值的文化景区。加
Former IUPer and currently Tsinghua University
上自古江南地区就文化繁荣，这里也有很多浪漫
International Relations School’s Matthew Ferchen will
的故事。我们这次旅行就会住在这些浪漫故事发
discuss comparative politics on Thursday, April 30, 7-
生的地方：秦淮河边。不知道你会不会碰到属于
9:30 p.m., location TBA.
你的故事 ☺
提供一个网站供大家参考，了解南京的有
趣之处。
The IUPeople Newsletter is published monthly by the Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies. Wen Bei Lou, 502, Tsinghua
University, Beijing, China 100084. Visit us at http://ieas.berkeley.edu/iup. Editor-in-chief: Charles Laughlin, Managing Editor: Vivian Li

Beijing Jam
by Alan Gaskill
Alan Gaskill and Sharon Nakhimovsky performing at Flow Coffee
IUP’s semester break this year falls on the exact time
With winter’s end and the arrival of spring, IUP has of MIMA Music week. From April 6th to April 11th,
witnessed a blossoming of music. My bi-weekly gig at MIMA musicians around the world will concurrently
Flow Coffee near the South Gate of campus is host interactive music classes. The week culminates on
transforming into a forum for IUPers to play and jam Saturday April 11th, when each MIMA class in the
together. Thursday March 19th saw the second world will give a public performance at the same time.
appearance of classical violinist-turned-modern All participating students in Beijing will perform on
improviser Sharon Nakhimovsky, playing Brazilian midnight, Saturday April 11th, at the same time as
Choro and Gypsy Jazz. Jeff Volinski and Faaria their comrades in nine cities around the globe, spread
Kherani got their feet wet with a beautiful rendition among the nations of Jamaica, USA, Cyprus, Brazil,
of “Misty.” The patrons fell silent as Faaria sang to and Argentina.
Jeff’s soulful accompaniment.
I will be hosting an interactive music course in
And this is just the beginning. Peter Witherington Wudaokou for MIMA Music week. Three IUPers are
has an itch to get back into his guitar chops, Chen currently signed on. All levels of musical experience
Wenhui Laoshi and Li Lu Laoshi have observed the are welcome – including those with no musical
phenomenon with interest and will require just a little experience at all! Talk to me for more info.
prodding to join in the fun; Ashton Liu heard there
was music being made and had his electric bass
shipped over from home; Benjamin Roth, already a
Photo: Alan Gaskill
pianist, is proving a dedicated student of the Brazilian
tambourine, the pandeiro. Finally, this season awaits
confirmation of a rumor that IUP’s the most seasoned
player-in-hibernation and arguably the best jazz
trumpeter on the Tsinghua campus, Charles “The
Professor” Laughlin, is to re-ascend the rostrum after a
25 year hiatus and deliver a mighty lecture from his
horn. More on this later…
I am a certified musician of an international NGO
called MIMA Music (www.mimamusic.org), whose
mission is to “inspire students of all ages with a
lifelong appreciation for music-making.” MIMA
IUP Band on Tour: Musical talents Ben Roth, Sharon
organizes cost-free interactive music classes for Nakhimovsky, Alan Gaskill, and Jeff Volinski jam the night
students of all ages and backgrounds. away on the Luoyang trip last fall

this with impeccable fluency. The beauty of the Yao family girls
Exploring Chinese Literature through Translation
was never in danger of becoming passé. In every detail, they
by Kitty Poundstone followed the fashions of their day, they were elegant and refined, a
collaboration with the divine.
Daughters are a burden, goods sold at a loss, but
Several of us at IUP are interested in Chinese beautiful daughters are in another league. Mr. Yao understood
literature, and we have begun meeting about once a this well, but he really was not the kind of person who would
month to discuss literary translation and pieces that bank on his daughters’ marriage prospects. Of course, neither was
we ourselves have translated. We come from different Mr. Yao in the best financial position…
levels of knowledge and experience and welcome
anyone curious about Chinese literature to participate. The story was originally published in 1943, and
During our group meetings, we discuss has not before been published in English. Like many
Chinese literature (history, authors, etc.), we read each of Chang’s, this story lends itself to stage adaptation,
other’s translations and provide helpful feedback on and was performed as a play in Shanghai years ago.
how to improve our drafts. This can get pretty
detailed. We dive into aspects of the translations that
Photo: Kitty Poundstone
can make or break a smooth reading experience,
debating things like voice, punctuation, footnoting,
capitalization, sentence structure and register.
In February 2009, we discussed Peter
Witherington’s translation of an early Yu Hua short
story called “The Northwest Wind Howling at Noon”:
Sunlight crept in through the windowpane that was without a
single crack or cleft, nearly reaching the leg of the pants I had
tossed across a chair. I was reclining shirtless under my quilt at
the time, my right hand rubbing from the corner of my right eye
the dirt that had accumulated there as I slept. It felt wrong to
leave it there, but handling it violently didn’t seem right either, so
Peter Witherington (back, 2nd from left) and Kitty Poundstone
I worked at it quite daintily. At that moment my left eye was idle,
(front, far right) together with translation group at the Penguin
so I dispatched it to go and take a look at the pair of pants. I had
2009 Chinese-English Literary Translation Workshop in
taken them off before I went to bed, and I regretted tossing them Suzhou. Authors Marina Lewycka (back, 3rd from left) and Yan
carelessly onto the chair, such that now they drooped precariously. Lianke (back, center) shown with translator and professor Julia
The rest of my clothing was in the same state. As my left eye gazed Lovell (back, 2nd from right).
at them I began to wonder whether in my sleep I had in fact shed a
layer of skin, like a snake; my pants and the rest of my clothes Both Peter and I participated in the 2009
really had this appearance about them. By this time a thread of
Chinese-English Literary Translation Workshop
sunlight had reached the leg of my pants, a jumping pin-point of
sponsored by Penguin Books in March in Suzhou.
light resembling a golden flea. Seeing this, my body began to itch,
This week-long workshop included working with
and I was going to use my idle left hand to scratch it but, as it
published Chinese and English-language authors and
wasn’t enough, I had to enlist the right to help out.
translators on a translation of recently published
fiction; learning about publishing houses and literary
There was someone knocking at the door...
magazines that publish Chinese fiction in translation;
and working on film subtitling. It was a great
During our second meeting in March, we
opportunity to meet writers, literary agents,
discussed my translation of a farcical piece written by
publishers, and fellow translators. Peter and I worked
Eileen Chang called “Glazed Tiles.” In this short story,
with Yan Lianke, a satirical writer who has written a
Chang recounts the trials and tribulations of Mr. and
number of novels, including Serve the People, and
Mrs. Yao as they struggle to ensure that their seven
translator Julia Lovell. One great feature of the
beautiful daughters marry well:
workshop was being able to work with published
English language writers on polishing our translations.
… each of Mr. Yao’s seven daughters was more beautiful than the
Our group worked with Marina Lewycka, author of A
next. It was strange: when classical beauty was at the height of
Short History of Tractors in Ukranian and Two Caravans.
fashion, Mrs. Yao gave birth to a girl with an oval face. When
an oval face was no longer the style, Mrs. Yao added a girl with We hope that anyone in the IUP community
a heart shaped face. When the craze for the large eyes and long with an interest in Chinese literature will join us for
eyelashes so adored by Westerners took hold, Mrs. Yao translated our next meeting in late April!