Contemporary Chinese Poetry in Translation: The Homings and Departures Project

Homings & Departures is a poetry translation project of the China Australia Writing Centre (CAWC) at Curtin and Fudan Universities, and the International Poetry Studies Institute (IPSI) at the University of Canberra. As worldwide borders close and movements are restricted, the project’s title has gained a pressing new relevance. If bodies cannot travel then words, at least, can. In a spirit of nuanced exchange, CAWC at Curtin and Fudan, along with IPSI, continue their creative collaboration at a time when it is increasingly vital. These poems were first published in Homings and Departures: Selected Poems from Contemporary China and Australia (Qinghai People’s Publishing House, 2018), edited by Bao Huiyi and Hai An. Later this year, an Australian companion volume of Homings and Departures will be published by Recent Work Press, edited by Lucy Dougan and Paul Hetherington, with Chinese translations by Iris Fan Xing.