2025 Women’s History Month

Giving Them Voice: Tang Poetry and Universal Resonance

China’s Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD) saw progress in many areas of life and left us a treasure trove of poetry. From this poetry came many sayings, proverbs, and aphorisms, which are still in use today. Tang poetry is often regarded as the Golden Age of Chinese poetry. Celebrated for its beauty, emotional depth, and profound connection to nature, it captures the essence of the human experience through themes of love, longing, and social reflection. With its rich imagery and elegant form, Tang poetry inspires and resonates across generations, solidifying its place as one of the most enduring legacies of Chinese cultural history.

In honor of Women’s History Month, the ACC Asian American & Pacific Islander Cultural Center and ACC Library Services invite you to experience the beauty and depth of Tang poetry. This special event will feature poem recitations by Dr. Susan Wan Dolling from her series My China in Tang Poetry: Superstars, Floating on Clouds, Friends and Lovers (Earnshaw Books, 2024), along with a teaser from Hundred Tongues Two: Southern Song Poets (Earnshaw Books, 2025). The recitations will be complemented by a captivating cello performance in collaboration with Dr. Chi Hui Kao.

This unique exploration of Chinese culture highlights the timeless beauty of Tang Dynasty poetry, showcasing how the poet-translator brings ancient voices to life. The event delves into the themes of love and loss, aspirations and disappointments, evoking personal emotions and universal longing. It combines innovative translations, musical adaptations and cello performance, creating a vibrant cross-cultural experience that bridges history, language, and art.

Don’t miss this captivating journey through the sounds, images, and emotions that have shaped one of China’s greatest cultural legacies.

Event Information

When: Tuesday, March 4, 2025, 12 noon

Where: ACC Northridge Library

Campus Address: 11928 Stonehollow Dr, Austin, TX 78758

Admission: Free and Open to the Public

About the Book

Susan Wan Dolling’s My China in Tang Poetry series is a personal celebration of Tang Dynasty poetry while making these ancient poems accessible to the modern reader by telling stories relating to the poets and their poetry. In her telling, these stories and poems are not archaic or hard, but engaging and alive. Volume One, Superstars, contains selections from the two giants of Tang poetry, Li Bai and Du Fu. Volume Two, Floating on Clouds, gives us two recluses and four so-called “Female Talents of the Tang Dynasty” and Volume Three, Friends and Lovers, tells the stories of three pairs of scholarly friends and a variety of their love stories.

Resources

• Volumes 1-3 of My China Poetry at the NRG Campus Library
• Website of Susan Wan Dolling

Dr. Chi-Hui Kao

Dr. Chi-Hui Kao is an accomplished cellist, renowned for her performances as a soloist, chamber musician, and professional orchestras. Her extensive performance career has taken her across the United States, Europe, and Asia, where she has participated in numerous prestigious chamber music programs. Currently, Dr. Kao serves as a section cellist with the Central Texas Philharmonic. She has previously held the position of principal cellist with the Abilene Opera, Texas Music Festival, and the Asian Youth Orchestra. As a soloist, she has performed in iconic venues, including Carnegie Hall, following her success in the “American Protégé” competition.

A native of Taiwan, Dr. Kao earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in Cello Performance from Michigan State University. Her academic studies were guided by renowned cellists such as Suren Bagratuni, Rhonda Rider, Chien-An Chen, and Shiao-Mei Sun. Additionally, Dr. Kao has participated in masterclasses with distinguished musicians, including Yo-Yo Ma, Norman Fisher, Brinton Averil Smith, Alexandre Lecarme, Stefan Kartman, the Muir String Quartet, Lynn Chang, and Zuo Jun, further refining her artistry.

Dr. Susan Wan Dolling

Dr. Susan Wan Dolling is a Chinese American poet, novelist, essayist, translator and teacher who was born in Hong Kong, studied in Japan, and graduated from Princeton University with an A.B. in English and Creative Writing, and Ph.D. in Comparative Literature. She has taught English Literature at Fordham University and Chinese Literature at the University of Texas at Austin. Her translations of modern Chinese literature and classical Chinese poetry can be found in such publications as Poetry, Words Without Border, Two Lines, The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Literature, Bamboo Shoots After the Rain, and Renditions. Her translation of Wang Wen-Hsing’s modernist novel, Family Catastrophe is in University of Hawaii Press’s Fiction from Modern China Series. Her most recent publication, My China in Tang Poetry, a three book series, was published by Earnshaw Books (2024). She lives in Austin, Texas with her family.