Title: Interpreting the Classics: Qiao Ye on Her Journey through Classic Works

Speaker: Qiao Ye

Time: Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 15:00 (Please arrive ten minutes early)

Venue: Academic Hall, Xueyuan Road Campus

Registration: Students may register via the Boya platform (https://bykc.buaa.edu.cn).

Abstract:

The sound of rain holds different meanings at various stages of life. Similarly, our reading preferences vary as we grow. In childhood, we tend to seek joy; in adolescence, we focus on inspiration for growth; and in middle age, we start to look back on life... How do classic books, like food, get thoroughly digested and assimilated, eventually become part of our very being, shape our spiritual backbone and nourish our inner selves?

Qiao Ye is both a writer and an avid reader. She says she always carries a thin little book in her bag and reads it whenever she has free time. During her youth, reading Jane Eyre resonated deeply with her, connecting her spirit with the self-respecting and resilient protagonist from centuries ago, and setting her on the path to literature. Later, her love for Madame Bovary led her to collect at least five different editions of the book. And the classic A Dream of Red Mansions has become a spiritual homeland she revisits time and again.

Why does she repeatedly read classics? She says, "Because I write, I must read—and read analytically. This allows me to deeply understand the characters in classic works, to ponder where the essence of these classics lies, and then to grow through such contemplation." This time, Qiao Ye will share her journey of classic reading. It's a journey of a writer and a path through life, with a book in hand, moving forward with simplicity and determination.

About the Speaker:

Qiao Ye, Winner of the Mao Dun Literature Prize and Vice President of the Beijing Writers' Association.