Poetry and the art of general mechanics

A university student endears herself to TV audiences with her knowledge and bearing

It all comes down to how books deal with the tight, dark confines of a school bag: Can an anthology of poetry live amicably with a manual on general mechanics?

For Chen Geng the answer is yes, which is why she will no doubt soon be reciting the laws of mechanics with as much ease as she now recites Chinese poetry.

Chen, 25, is a PhD student at Peking University specializing in general mechanics who has become renowned nationwide for her poetry prowess.

That fame is the fruit of her having twice taken part in the China Central Television program Rendezvous With Chinese Poetry, in February this year and in its premiere season in March last year.

Her celebrity was cemented when she reached the finals of the competition.

By the time the second season of the competition aired, Chen appeared to have gained in confidence, and she stood out from her peers. What seemed to endear her to many viewers, apart from the sheer depth of her knowledge of poetry and that she was studying engineering, was her elegant bearing and style of dress that seemed to hearken back to an earlier age.

She would eventually miss out on winning the competition as the result of giving a wrong answer during the final, but Chen says she has no regrets.

"Of course I wish all my answers had been correct and that I hadn't seemed so brusque at times, but I really don't care much about the final results. I am just a poetry lover and saw the competition as an interesting game."

The program gave her the chance to learn things, she says, because it often drew on the expertise of consultants who gave expansive explanations of some of the poems.

"I saw it all as a chance to exchange ideas, where I could say what I thought and hear what others thought."

Chen says she developed an interest in literature and classic poetry when she was very young, thanks to a book collection her grandfather had. She used to spend hours reading in bookshops, too, she says.

However, studies kept her away from poetry for a few years, and it was only when she was studying for her master's degree that she resumed reading poetry extensively.

Classic poems, which are usually condensed and simple, fit her personality, she says.

"When I read poems I can escape from things that I don't like in everyday life and find peace of mind."

Some poems and poets have inspired her in many ways, she says.

As a student she spends most of her time in the laboratory and finds the time for reading poetry is limited.

She has made the most of the internet to help her learn more about poetry and poets' lives and usually re-creates stories and scenes in her mind to help memorize poems.

Her passion for poetry seeps through into many parts of her life, and she even has folders in her computer named with favorite lines from poems.

"The names all have some kind of indication about what the folders contain. It helps me to remember the poems, too."

She even tends to associate daily happenings with poetry she is familiar with, she says.

Chen says she usually jots down notes and writes down her feelings after reading poems, and a publishing house has expressed interest in publish her literary notes.

The benefits of the fame that Rendezvous With Chinese Poetry has given her extend beyond the world of poetry, she says, for example being offered the chance to record online classes for educational establishments and making commercials.

However, she has turned down all except a couple of charitable cultural activities, so she can focus on her study.

"I feel I have something to prove: that doing those has not upset the rhythm of my life."

Through poetry she simply wants to enrich herself mentally and spiritually rather than materially, she says.

Some people may feel they have no connection with poetry, but that is no reason why others should miss out on the treasures it holds, she says.

"I reckon everyone should try at least to read about poetry to work out if it does anything for them," she says.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 05/12/2017 page16)