Literary Chinese - the Latin of East Asia
New Zealand Chinese Language Week (23-29 September 2018) is a Kiwi-led initiative aimed at encouraging New Zealanders to discover Chinese language and culture.
Date: Tuesday, 25 September, 2018
Time:
12:00pm to 1:00pm
Cost:
Free. No booking required.
Location:
Te Ahumairangi (ground floor), National Library, corner Molesworth and Aitken Streets, Thorndon
Celebrating Chinese Language Week.
This talk, one of three, as part of celebrations for Chinese Language Week, explores the common heritage of literacy in Chinese beyond the Chinese-speaking world with which it is usually associated, and considers the various factors that led to its eventual abandonment and replacement by vernacular “national” languages.
Phan Boi Chau and his 'Letter from Abroad written in Blood'
In 1907 the Vietnamese anti-colonialist thinker Phan Boi Chau, then resident in Japan, wrote his famous Letter from Abroad written in Blood, a call for the Vietnamese people to unite and expel the French colonial powers from their country.
What is perhaps most remarkable about this exhortation to national awakening is that it was not written in the national language (Vietnamese), but instead composed in what we are now accustomed to refer to as Literary Chinese.
In the context of the times, Phan’s preference for Literary Chinese was not at all remarkable; until the early twentieth century, Literary Chinese was widely used as a vehicle for intellectual discussions, poetry, novels, and for the daily business of state administration, not only in China but also more widely throughout East Asia in Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, and had been so for over a millennium.
About the speaker
Catherine Churchman is a lecturer in Asian Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, and a fluent speaker of many languages, including various Chinese dialects.
Image: Catherine Churchman, lecturer in Asian Studies at Victoria University of Wellington
Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?
What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?
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37.1% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
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62.9% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
🎉 Riddle me this, legends! 🎉
He/She who makes it, sells it.
He/She who buys it, doesn't use it.
The user doesn't know they are using it.
What is it?
(Shezz from Ngāruawāhia kindly provided this head-scratcher ... thanks, Shezz!)
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post if you know the answer and the big reveal will be posted in the comments at 2pm on the day!
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