UM Macao Humanities Forum explores Twenty Poems about Dunhuang

MACAU, March 12 - The Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FAH) of the University of Macau (UM) held the Macao Humanities Forum, where Charles Sanft, professor of history at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, US, and guest professor in the Institute for Sinology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in Germany, delivered a lecture titled ‘Land of Marvels: Twenty Poems about Dunhuang’. The lecture was well attended by students and faculty members.

In his welcome address, Joaquim Kuong, assistant dean of FAH, noted that the lecture focused on Chinese history and poetry. He highlighted that both Macao and Dunhuang are cultural crossroads with plentiful artistic and literary legacies, and have been significant driving forces in the development of Chinese culture. Zhang Yue, assistant dean of FAH, introduced Prof Sanft’s academic background and achievements. A world-renowned sinologist, Prof Sanft is the author of two monographs—Communication and Cooperation in Early Imperial China: Publicizing the Qin Dynasty and Literate Community in Early Imperial China: The Northwestern Frontier in Han Times—as well as a substantial body of work on ancient Chinese history and culture. His contributions have enriched the international community’s understanding of and appreciation for ancient Chinese history and culture.

During the lecture, Prof Sanft first introduced the theme ‘Twenty Poems about Dunhuang’ by showing old photographs of the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang. He coined the term ‘topophilia’ and emphasised the emotional connection between the poet and the place, highlighting that such a connection is inseparable from historical context. Prof Sanft then moved on to the preface of the poetic sequence Twenty Poems about Dunhuang, which marks the beginning of the poet’s journey in Dunhuang. He provided a detailed commentary on a selection of poems, exploring both their literal content and their metaphorical representations of social reality. He also noted that the poetic sequence, in which the first and last poems echo each other, reflects the poet’s inner journey in Dunhuang. This demonstrates that the poet found inspiration there and formed an attachment to the place. In his concluding remarks, Zhang said that Prof Sanft had delivered a special lecture on Chinese poetry that transcended conventional historical and literary analysis by being grounded in regional particularities. He added that the lecture had opened up new perspectives on traditional literary studies.

During the Q&A session, Prof Sanft engaged in in-depth discussions with UM students and faculty on topics including poetry translation, the features of regional literary, and the structure of poetic sequence. He emphasised that effective translation hinges on a balance between literal translation and necessary annotation, and that translators should convey literal information clearly, while leaving space for readers to interpret metaphors. He went on to explain that, unlike linear narratives, Chinese poetry sequences are characterised by multiformity rather than a single, sequential path.

This was the third lecture of the Macao Humanities Forum for the 2025/2026 academic year. Every year, the forum invites distinguished scholars in different fields of the humanities to share their latest research findings with students and faculty members in Macao. Previous lectures of the forum have covered a wide range of topics, including literature, linguistics, history, translation, and arts.