Yeh Chia-ying spent seven decades researching and promoting classical poetry across mainland China, Taiwan, the United States and Canada. - Photo: Xinhua
BEIJING: Yeh Chia-ying, a revered figure in Chinese classical poetry and education, died at the age of 100 in the northern port city of Tianjin on Sunday (Nov 24).
Often referred to as the “daughter of poetry”, she dedicated seven decades to researching and promoting classical Chinese poetry across mainland China, Taiwan, the United States and Canada.
She influenced countless students, including literary masters Kenneth Pai Hsien-yung and Xi Murong.
“Renowned for her unique charisma and dedication to her homeland, Professor Yeh consistently advocated for Chinese poetry education and the preservation of outstanding traditional culture, leaving an indelible mark on the study, transmission, and development of Chinese classical literature,” Tianjin’s Nankai University, where Yeh spent her later years teaching and establishing research funds, said in an obituary on Sunday.
Born in 1924 into a distinguished literary family in Beijing, Yeh’s early life was steeped in the traditions of Chinese poetry amid the chaos of China’s tumultuous 20th century.
In one interview, Yeh recalled she “heard gunfire at the doorstep of her courtyard” during the Marco Polo Bridge incident in July 1937, a key battle in Japan’s invasion of China.
In 1941, during the Chinese civil war, she enrolled at Fu Jen Catholic University in Beijing, studying under poetry master Gu Sui.
After marrying navy employee Chao Chung-sun in 1948, she relocated to Taiwan as the Kuomintang government retreated to the island.
In Taiwan, Yeh faced significant challenges, including her husband’s imprisonment during the politically turbulent White Terror period. However, she found solace in teaching and publishing poetry, which helped her establish an academic reputation while raising her daughter.
In the late 1960s, Yeh accepted a position at the University of British Columbia and moved to Canada, occasionally teaching classes at universities in the United States.
In North America, she enriched her understanding of classical Chinese poetry by engaging with Western literary theories. She studied influential thinkers including Wolfgang Iser and Julia Kristeva and integrated concepts such as “emotional resonance” into her analysis of poetry, emphasising that its beauty transcends formal qualities to evoke powerful feelings.
Yeh’s life took a sharp turn in 1976 when her daughter and son-in-law died in a car accident. Devastated, she resolved to contribute to the promotion and teaching of Chinese poetry back in her homeland. This sense of purpose helped her cope with her grief. Poetry became a source of solace and a reminder of her duty to preserve poetic heritage, she said in a 2020 documentary.
Her perspective on poetry was encapsulated in a phrase she coined, “the beauty of passive virtue”, to describe her resilience in the face of challenges.
In 1977, when China resumed college entrance exams after the Cultural Revolution, she was thrilled to witness young people travelling with copies of Tang dynasty(618-907) poetry on trains.
“I felt at that time that China is truly a nation of poetry. Despite enduring so many hardships, it still uses poetry to express itself,” she once told media, adding that she was motivated to serve China with her knowledge.
Starting in 1979, Yeh began returning annually to the land of her birth to impart her knowledge, eventually settling at Nankai University.
Her lectures quickly gained popularity, evolving from a handful of attendees to standing-room-only classes. Her charismatic teaching style and passion for poetry left a lasting mark on her students.
She described poetry as being intertwined with personal life experiences. For example, when discussing Tang dynasty poet Du Fu’s line, “the country is broken, but mountains and rivers remain”, she drew parallels to her own experiences during the Marco Polo Bridge incident, when students were forced to tear up history and geography textbooks and replace English courses with Japanese.
She retired from UBC in 1989 and later became a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
In her later years, she established the Institute of Chinese Poetry and Classical Culture at Nankai University, donating nearly all her assets to scholarships to support Chinese classical literature. She received numerous national awards recognising her contributions to the promotion and teaching of Chinese poetry and traditional culture.
In 2014, former premier Wen Jiabao congratulated Yeh on her 90th birthday, acknowledging her significant contributions to education and culture and highlighting the enduring value of classical Chinese culture as a guiding light for the nation’s heritage.
“Your spirit is pure, your ambitions noble, and your poetry gives strength; your life, full of challenges, authenticity and aesthetics, will educate future generations,” he wrote in a letter.
In recent years, Yeh was recognised for her efforts to pass on classical poetry to younger generations through online lessons and video streams. She highlighted the importance of recitation as a means of passing down culture.
“If you study poetry, you will develop an inner concern for humanity, the world, and all living things. You’ll feel joy at the growth of plants and sadness at their decay,” she said at a poetry recitation competition in August of last year.
“This emotional response from poetry fosters communication and connection between people while also cultivating a deep care and appreciation for the world around us.”
Through her life’s work, Yeh ensured that classical poetry would not only endure but thrive as a vital part of Chinese culture and identity.
As she once put it: “My lotus petals will fall, so I must make sure the lotus seeds live on.” - South China Morning Post
