Writers’ Residency –Days in Yuanyang

The last leg of the 2017 Sun Yat-sen University Writer’s Residency took place in Yuanyang, Honghe Hanizu & Yizu Autonomous Perfecture, Yunnan, from Nov. 11th to Nov. 17th, 2017. The Sun Yat-sen University Writers’ Residency was founded by Fan Dai, the director of the Sun Yat-sen University Center for English-language Creative Writing with its mission of promoting the reading and writing of world literature.

With the support of the Yunnan World Exposition Yuanyang Hani Terrace Field Cultural Tourism Development Ltd., writers from 8 different countries experienced the rich Hani and other minority cultures during the stay there. One Chinese writer, Fu Yuehui, a Yunnan local, joined the group.

Professor Dai Fan (second from right), Fu Yuehui (fourth from left) and some of the writers and students
 

On Nov. 11th, the group of writers and students from SYSU were introduced the unique way of life the Hani people live. The group was invited to visit the locals’ families. Inside the household, the writers and local people had a long chat about their family life, the way they make a living, and how to pass down the culture from generation to generation. Since Hani people have no written language, the only way for them to preserve culture is through the songs. Usually it was the male who was entitled the rights to learn the songs about their ancestors’ migration, toiling and booming.

One of the Hani people demonstrating a song to welcome all the writers and students

The writers and students walking to visit the locals’ families
 

At night, the group experienced the Long-table Feast, a local festival to celebrate the coming of new year. The group not only listened to the Hani songs, but also danced with the Hani people. Body language has no boundaries. The local people, the writers, the students and teachers of SYSU all joined in the dancing party, warming the cold night.
Nov. 12th happened to be a market day. The group walked to the market and engaged in the local life. As the English poet Mandy Coe said, going to the market is a natural way to get interaction with the local people. Pilipino-American writer Luis Francia said the market reminded him of his childhood. Indian film researcher Suresh Chabria commented that “Yesterday we were tourists, and today we become local.”

In the afternoon, the group went to see the sunset. The terrace field stretches out layer by layer, like the meat, like mirrors, like frozen ripples, like slow-moving, solid water fall, like liquid ladder reaching into the sky…The Indian poet Priya Sarukkai Chabria wrote a poem spontaneously at the site, called “Mutations”.

The terrace fields in Duo Yi Shu

In the following days, the group went to a sun rise, two sun sets in different locations, and visited another village which kept its original way of living, as could be shown by the thatched cottages they lived in. Israeli writer Evan Fallenberg said he might not write anything about Yuanyang when he was still there, but would definitely do so when he leaves the place. Luis Francia had the same idea. Maybe it takes time and space to brew. The Maori Writer Briar Grace-Smith from New Zealand had been recording the sounds of birds, cats and dogs, insects and the sound of wind, and was preparing to add this element to her film.