Train Poetry Exchange
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Issue Date
2006-09-06Author
Hacker, Randi
Tsutsui, William
Publisher
Center for East Asian Studies, University of Kansas
Type
Recording, oral
Is part of series
Postcards from Asia;0044
Published Version
https://audioboom.com/posts/825361-0044-train-poetry-exchangeMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Broadcast Transcript: First there were Maoist slogans. Then there were ads for cosmetic surgery. Soon there will be poems by English masters such as Wordsworth and Blake. Where? On Shanghai public transportation, that's where. In a deal that was years in the making, the London Underground will display lines from some of China's greatest poets and the Shanghai metro will display poems from some of Britain's noteworthy wordsmiths. The Shanghai government hired a university scholar to determine whether the content was appropriate. The concern was less about politics than pessimism. London Underground poems were considered too death-oriented. And the Chinese wisely realize that long subway commutes --underground in the dark--are death-like enough, thank you very much, without being reminded of it in verse. #ceas #china #hacker #tsutsui
Description
This is one of hundreds of 60-second radio spots created by the Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) for Kansas Public Radio (KPR). The purpose of this outreach program is to introduce the people of Kansas to the culture and current issues of East Asia.
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