Taiwanese Artist: With An Existence of the Poets, the World Shall Not Lose Faith
Magdaléna Šebestová
22 September 2016
Yu Hsi – Taiwanese scholar, poet, translator, Buddhist thinker and patron of arts – said in an interview for the Dotyk magazine, that President Havel’s heritage represents the most important values the Czech people should follow.
In the previous few days the community of poets from the whole world met in Prague to commemorate the 115 birth anniversary of the Czech Nobel Laureate in Literature Jaroslav Seifert. The 36th World Congress of Poets organized by the Czech Center of the International PEN Club was attended by 140 poets from 18 countries.
Among the most important participants of the Congress was the Taiwanese scholar, poet, translator, Buddhist thinker and patron of arts Yu Hsi, who previously served as president of both the Chinese Poetry Society and Chinese Writers and Artists’ Association. He is also a publisher and founding father of the Crane Summit 21st Century International Forum.
Yu Hsi has published many poetry collections in Chinese, including the so-called “epic poems” (scroll poetry), as well as books for children in both verse and prose. His works have been translated into English, French, Mongolian, Hindu and Urdu, and also in Czech and Slovak. His books and inspirational activities have won him high regard in many countries around the world; he is the recipient of the Franz Kafka Medallion, Karel Capek Medallion awarded by the Czech PEN Club, Jan Smrek Award, etc.
Taiwanese poet Yu Hsi, Markéta Mališová (Franz Kafka Center, director), Tomáš Vrba (Forum 2000 Foundation, president of the Board of Directors), and Jiří Dědeček (Czech Center of the International PEN Club, president)
Dr Yu Hsi, you represent a large and prestigious foundation supporting artists not only in Taiwan but also internationally. What made you – a scholar, a spiritual man, a poet and a writer split your precious time between art and executive administrative work?
In Chinese culture, the artists have traditionally been administrators as well, hence the two are generally not thought of as two separate professions. This is also the reason why I carefully split my own time and activities. The time when the sun is about to come out until the moment it rises high on the sky represents the part of the day most inspirational for artists. Therefore, every morning from 4 to 7 I dedicate myself to art and artistic creation. For the rest of the day until sunset I work for the sake of our Blue Planet and the humankind. My goal and wish is for all the people to live in peace and actively help each other. At the same time, I’ve always wanted to share art with people who love and appreciate it. That’s why in my own creative works I strive for the spiritual art, and when it comes to the executive and administrative work, I try to inspire other artists to also devote their work to the benefit of humankind so to spread the thought of sharing.
Which of your foundation’s achievements are you most proud of?
Since its establishment, the Crane Summit 21st Century International Forum has achieved humble success. What is more important is the fact that we have supported poets who engage in selfless and diligent work and should have therefore been awarded long time ago. Moreover, we have awarded the work of great world politicians.(???) Our Forum strives for Refinement, Sublimity, Amity and Peace. In other words, every single attainment achieved is for a simple goal: people in the 21st century could live in peace and poets and artists can be supported all over the world. We feel most honored when awarding the Crane Summit Supreme Honor Crown Medallion to the former Indian President Dr. Abdul Kalam for his successful publication of a poetry collection as a world poet. Each and every day, significant or not, is of the same importance to us.
Meeting with Václav Havel
You are the laureate of the Vision 97 Foundation of Václav and Dagmar Havel (2009). When did you first hear of Václav Havel? Was there anything specific that you found striking or extraordinary about his personality?
When and where have I first heard of President Havel? I can tell you the exact time and occasion. It was on 28 March 2007 at 3:30 pm during a walk with the then Indian President Abdul Kalam in the gardens of the Presidential Palace. When we arrived the Pavilion of Saints, President Kalam told me that there are two people on the whole planet I should definitely meet: the former Czech President Havel and the former South African President Nelson Mandela. President Kalam described both Presidents in great detail to me, therefore my initial knowledge about Václav Havel comes from him. Shortly after I learned about President Havel’s legendary life, I planned a meeting with him in 2008, but destiny was against us. One year later in 2009, accompanied by the former Slovak President Michal Kováč I travelled to Prague to meet President Havel. Our encounter took place on Havel’s birthday and I felt truly honored that President Havel treated me with Chinese tea.
You published a poetry book of the Czech writer Jiří Dědeček. What is your key for selecting foreign writers to support?
Crane Summit 21st Century International Forum was founded with an aim to support and stimulate the cooperation of poets and men of letters around the world. We’ve published not only a poetry book by Jiří Dědeček, but also selected works by Indian, Mongolian, Slovak, Norwegian, Korean, Japanese and other international authors. The goal of our foundation is to create a platform that connects poets worldwide.
You once said that all creative works must contribute to social benefits. How do you force that upon artists?
This is a very good question. In fact, all poets and artists by merely creating art already contribute to the world, with an exception, of course, that if those works are able to stand the test of time. Through his or her work, every poet plants a seed of art into the history of humankind and this act itself is a gift to the society. Life and creations of an outstanding poet are by themselves a beautiful work of art and an indelible contribution to the humankind.
You also write books for children, several of them have even been translated into Czech. What do you find most challenging and rewarding in writing for children?
I’ve written more than ten books for children that won important Taiwanese literary awards. Two of them, Master Huntsman and Leaflet’s Diary, were already translated into Czech and through the Crane Summit 21stInternational Forum 500 copies of each title were donated to the Dagmar and Vaclav Havel’s Vize 97 Foundation.
In my opinion, books for children have to represent the embodiment of the most sincere and purest creative inspiration, because through these books we are giving our children, who are just about to know the world, a present symbolizing purity, goodness and beauty. The biggest challenge for every author of children’s books is to depict these values in his or her work. If he or she succeeds in giving children such a present, then this is the greatest reward for them all.
One Poet Is Enough to Give Hope to the Whole World
How do you see the situation of poetry and its writers in today’s rather speedy and abbreviated electronic world?
For a true poet it is of no relevance. For a mediocre poet it probably is a cause of grief.
It is said that in Asia poetry is very popular which can not be said at least about the CR. Can you see any difference between Asian and Euro Atlantic audience? If so, how can it be explained?
This is a matter of cultural background and different tendencies in historical development. For example, in China the Tang dynasty is known as the era of poems shi, the Sung dynasty as the era of songs ci, and during the Ming and Qing dynasties essays and notes became the most popular literary genres. In other words, different cultural and historical context gave rise to various genres. That’s why Asians like poetry and Europeans, for example, are fond of music, there’s nothing unusual about that.
The World Congress of Poets is organized annually, always in a different country. Why do you consider such events meaningful?
I think that all similar international events are meaningful; for instance, the World Congress of Poets and the Olympic Games held every four years. The main objective is for the people to learn to cooperate and to get along with one another.
“Inter Arma Silent Musae” – Does a written word stand any chance today at all?
Of course it does! I’ve already mentioned the dialogue with President Kalam. On that occasion President Kalam also told me: “Let’s say there is one hundred states in the whole world. As long as there is one poet born in one of them, there is still hope in this world!”
What message do you have for Czech audience?
Czech people are sincere, genuine, wise and have a great sense of humor. Personally I think that President Havel’s heritage represents the most important values the Czech people should continue to abide by.
Source of news:http://www.dotyk.cz/publicistika/tchajwansky-umelec-staci-jediny-basnik-v-kazde-zemi-a-svet-ma-nadeji-20160922.html
(Translated by editorial department)