[foogallery id="52983"]
As a highlight of the 42nd anniversary celebrations, the City University of Macau (CityU) invited Prof. Yu Hua, a prominent Chinese writer and recipient of the honorary doctorate degree, to deliver the Doctor honoris causa Lecture with the theme of “Reality in Literature” today (March 28th). The lecture attracted nearly 1,000 in-person audiences and was also broadcasted online via various live channels with some 30,000 views. On the same occasion, Prof. Yu Hua took up the role of Distinguished Professor under CityU’s appointment. Rector Jun Liu delivered an appointment letter during the ceremony.
Prof. Yu Hua shared his writing experience by starting with the origin of his literary career. Centered on the theme of “Reality in Literature,” Prof. Yu Hua elaborated on three aspects: (1) Literature can be a reflection of real life, but it can also be a distorted or idealized version of it. (2) Regarding how reality walks into novel writing, he pointed out that writing material can be directly “taken” from real-life events. (3) When the “taken” writing material is not profound enough, the writer needs to continue writing and developing the story further. “Literature and life are closely related. Life can inspire literature and literature can also inspire life,” Prof. Yu commented.
During the lecture, Prof. Yu Hua demonstrated his points through literary works such as Lu Xun’s Storm in a Teacup, Australian writer Richard Flanagan’s Death of a River Guide, Spanish writer Javier Marias’s A Heart So White, Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera. His humorous language and profound insights enlightened the audiences.
[foogallery id="52993"]
During the Q-and-A section, Distinguished Professor Martin Cortazzi asked how to read like a writer and write like a reader. Prof. Yu explained that reading and writing are intertwined; quality reading can sharpen writing skills. Prof. Yu Hua answered questions from students and shared valuable insights from the aspects of writing, life, and the nature of literary works. In addition, Prof. Yu Hua encouraged students to cherish the current learning environment, study hard, and lay a solid foundation for their future career. The auditorium was filled with cheers and applause.
[foogallery id="52994"]
Click here to watch the playback: https://play.yunxi.tv/pages/f9f9219ecb344ca0aafb90857c37739c#/
