Join us to reconnect with the power of poetry, and gain insight into how Lu Xun transformed Western symbolism!



Event Schedule

• First 90 minutes: Lecture and Q & A
• Final 90 minutes (optional): Participants free interaction: share cross-cultural experiences and thoughts inspired by the lecture
• Wine, coffee, tea, and light food will be served

As a foundational writer and thinker in modern China, Lu Xun (鲁迅 1881–1936) continues to shape societal discourse today. After studying in Japan and teaching in Beijing, he spent his final nine years writing in Shanghai, pioneering a unique examination of China through the dual lens of its historical legacy and contemporary Western thought.

Professor Gao Yuanbao (郜元宝) of Fudan University is a renowned Lu Xun scholar and a distinguished critic of contemporary Chinese literature. He will share his research on the Western allusions in Lu Xun's 1925 prose poem Dead Fire. This short work serves as a metaphor for the burning spirit of a people waking into cultural modernity, while inviting multiple interpretations.

Dr. Yanfeng Li, convener of the RAS Shanghai Book Club, will serve as the discussant.

Registered participants will receive the Chinese and translated Dead Fire (approx. 2 pages) in email. Hard copies available onsite.