The Chinese Puzzle

Have you ever felt that you would like to understand the Chinese better? Well an illustrated talk in St Albans on Friday January 23rd could provide some of the answers.
China expert and translator Kevin Maynard points out that Chinese civilisation is the oldest continuous culture on the planet – three millennia and still counting. And their tradition of .poetry goes back 2,500 years.
His talk under the auspices of Ver Poets will focus on twelve centuries of the tradition – with slides to show the sister arts of painting, calligraphy, and ceramics. There will be many examples of fine contemporary translations of the poems.
The talk will also take in Chinese philosophy and the three key religions of Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism.
Kevin says: “The poetic tradition is every bit as varied as those of Europe and the Middle East. In fact it’s had a huge influence on modern styles of writing.
“There’s growing interest in China today because of its emergence as a global superpower. To understand its past is maybe to understand its present.”
The public is invited to the event in St Michael’s Church Hall, St Michael’s Street at 8 pm. Entry costs £4 and refreshments are provided. Some members of Ver Poets will meet from 6.30 pm onwards in the nearby Rose and Crown.

For more information visit http://verpoets.org.uk/