Pao students launch school's first ever Chinese literary journal

Date:June 12,2020

Author:包玉刚实验学校

Recently, a group of literature enthusiasts in YK Pao High School launched Rebirth, the school's first student-published Chinese literary journal.

"Literary youth" - this term has a retro 1980s feel, a bit removed from the ultra-connected world of Generation Z. Yet when we meet these young people and become familiar with their thought-provoking writing, we can feel that they have keen literary minds and that Pao School provides an environment in which children can explore literature freely.

I was so delighted to hear that YK Pao students were starting a Chinese literary journal. It is just the sort of thing that intellectually talented, curious and ambitious students should be doing. It is particularly pleasing that they have this passion for and interest in Chinese literature. Their academic aim may well be to study at a Western university but for them to have a love of the culture and literature of their home country is an absolutely vital aspect of a YK Pao education. I wish them every success in this new endeavor.

——Mark Bishop,

High School Principal

and Head of Songjiang Campus

Rebirth Content Preview

The first issue of Rebirth is divided into five sections. In the first part, "False Reality and Real Dreams" (novel), you will discover the magic that's present in daily life, and you will see the story of how Zhang Gan perishes because of extreme exhaustion and then is reborn in the underworld. Part II: "Rolling Wheels" (essay) discusses some of the stories of our troubled times. Part III: "Poetry from the Far Shore" (poetry); In this section, poetry is used as a medium to depict a wild and untamed soul. The fourth section, "Light and Shadow", produced by the Illuminate Poetry Club, shows readers that poetry is as exquisite as jade and the light and shadow are interlaced. Part V: In "Melodious Singing," (prose), the stories will activate a profound nostalgia in you, taking you on a journey to the past.

Last semester, Danny and Leo told me they planned to launch Pao School's first Chinese literary journal, and said that they hoped I could provide some assistance. I gladly agreed. However, in the end, I only helped out with minor tasks. They handled all the core tasks themselves, including the creative process, finding contributors, editing, typesetting, and review of the publication. During the pandemic, they stayed on task, meeting and discussing through Zoom.

Pao School's Chinese teachers have played a very important but subtle role in facilitating the creation of this literary journal. It is the teachers (Chen Lina in Leo's case, and Zhao Dan in Danny's case) who have instilled such enthusiasm for literature in the students. The teachers' efforts have borne rich fruit: We have students who love literature and are passionate about creating literary works of their own. The students are not doing this for academic reasons - their literary works are totally unrelated to exams and stand on their own as significant achievements outside of the classroom.

They are very talented students. Although they are still young, they have the ability to think independently and see the world from different perspectives. At the same time, they have excellent literary sensibility and are passionate about writing.

I would like to quote several lines Leo wrote in the preface, because I found them very moving. These words show why Pao students are so distinctive.

"The students did not establish this publication in an effort to create smaller-scale versions of other literary journals, such as Shanghai Literature, Mengya or Shouhuo. Rather, they sought to develop a unique voice of their own, one that exists as a microcosm of the life of our high school students, showing many different sides of their existence in literary form."

——Le Yingyu,

Head of High School Chinese

Q & A about Rebirth

If literature is food, what type of food is it?

Y11, Titi: I think literature is like a molten chocolate cake. Just as the cake has multiple levels, so are good literary works, which leads the reader to look for the meaning behind a certain phenomenon and causes us to think deeply.

Y10, Koda: I would say that literature is like sugar. In appropriate quantities, it always has such a lasting sweet taste. But when there is too much sugar, it is not pleasing to the palate.

Y11, Danny: Sea urchin. From the outside, it appears foreboding, but the inside has a rich flavor to be savored.

Y10, Leo: If water can count as a food, I believe literature is like water. The written Chinese character for water is pleasing to the eye, while the water itself is clear, translucent and soft to the touch. When we eat other foods, our throats always feel dry and our bellies feel full. When we drink water, refreshing coolness slides into our throat, and flows throughout the body.

Why did you want to establish Rebirth?

Y11, Danny: The title of the journal means "rebirth" because we aim to revitalize literature for our times. We're going to put Rebirth out there as a new way to contribute to the conversation about literature and hopefully, our efforts will be successful. We also want it to serve as a platform for literature enthusiasts - Everyone's writing shines in a unique way. Rebirth will allow different literary works to blossom.

Y10, Leo: Rebirth will be Pao School's first literary journal. We hope that it combines both literature and the school's unique culture.

Y11, Titi: As one of the editors, I originally became involved in the Rebirth project in order to provide constructive feedback on the literary works of contributors. I hope this can be an inspirational learning process for everyone involved.

How do you think about literature?

Y10, Koda: Literature serves as a communication medium between writers and readers. This communication goes beyond the empirical world, and sometimes even beyond rationality. Literature can often give us deep insight into human nature, revealing the most deeply concealed thoughts and emotions in our hearts.

Y11, Titi: For me, literature offers a unique perspective on the world, and also can act as a log that records our views on the world around us - society, culture, etc. Literature helps us think and express ourselves.

Y11, Danny: I personally think that, as Ch'ien Chung-shu said, that how we interpret literature depends on our own experience. It is the most complete embodiment of a person's ideas.

Y10, Leo: Literature is an important and inseparable part of life.

Members

Danny

Danny, Year 11 student, editor-in-chief of Rebirth. Loves astronomy and literature,

but not having his picture taken. This is a picture of him taken three years ago.

Titi

Titi, Year 11 student, president of the Light and Shadow Poetry Society, and currently the editor of the poetry section Rebirth.

She is very interested in women's literature, tries to portray women from different perspectives in her work,

and convey the concepts of equality and pluralism to readers.

Leo

Leo, Year 10, edito of the novel section, also participates in prose writing.

Passionate about writing. Writing can take you wherever you want to go, he says.

Koda

Koda, a Year 10 student, is the deputy editor of the commentary section. He likes books but what fascinates him most is nature.

He believes that literature is more than just text: It is a type of exchange and communication.

Danny, one of the founders of Rebirth, said, "Literature is the passionate life, it is the searing faith." In this journal, a group of Gen Zers passionate about life and literature finds a medium to express themselves and imagine a better future. Rebirth is a project about rejuvenation, of the literary world, and of oneself. When reading Rebirth, we will be reminded that every day is a new beginning.

——David Xiong,

Director of Chinese Academics

The journal is currently under review and will be available shortly. We are looking forward to reading it!