Chinese Lessons
"Chinese Lessons," a half-hour color documentary, is the true story of the growing friendship between two family men, both lovers of poetry, from opposite ends of the earth. One is African-American. The other is Chinese. One is just starting a family. The other is a grandfather.
With assistance from Harvard University, the Emily Dickinson Homestead, the Frost Library at Amherst College and the Whittier Birthplace. Filmed on location at Walden Pond, The Emily Dickinson Homestead and West Lake in Hangzhou, China.
Image from “Chinese Lessons”. Calligraphy by Qiu-Ping Xia
“In this brief and moving film Roberto Mighty tells the story of his encounter with a remarkable man— a
soldier, scholar and poet who has devoted a long life to translating the poetry of the West into Chinese.”
Image from Chinese Lessons: Feibai reading at Walden Pond, Concord, Massachusetts
“The film, like Feibai Wang himself, is extraordinarily inspirational. What I’d most like my students to take from this film is an appreciation for his vast knowledge, his genius for language and mystery.
Wonderful work!”
Image from Chinese Lessons: Professor Feibai Wang reading from his book, Oceanus Poeticae
“I am a history teacher and I teach a course in Modern World History. Poetry is such a wonderful vehicle to span the globe and bridge the continents and see the commonality of all humankind. I loved “Chinese Lessons” and highly recommend it.”
Image from Chinese Lessons: Roberto Mighty studying Cantonese
The film depicts Wang's privileged youth as the son of intellectuals and his experiences and hardships during the Sino-Japanese War and the Cultural Revolution in Communist China. He later received national acclaim for his two-volume anthology of world poetry, Oceanus Poeticae. - Sharon Wong, Library Journal
Image from Chinese Lessons: Feibai Wang at the Emily Dickinson Homestead in Amherst, Massachusetts
“This program would be an asset to academic libraries supporting courses in comparative literature, Chinese history, or international studies.”
Image from Chinese Lessons: Feibai “Poetry Jam” with American translators and poets
Feibai Wang is China's leading translator of world poetry. This film traces his remarkable odyssey from a boyhood in exile to imprisonment during the CulturalRevolution to his triumphant winning of the China Book Prize and visit to America. Share his lifelong love affair with great poets of the world, including Emily Dickinson, Wang Wei, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Li Ho, Antoñio Machado, Li Po, Paul Valéry, John Greenleaf Whittier, Li Qingzhao, William Butler Yeats, Federico García Lorca, Anna Akhmatova and Edgar Allen Poe. Produced in cooperation with Zhejiang Province Television.
“Through the personal story of Professor Wang, “Chinese Lessons” explores the
deep humanity shared by all of us. This common bond transcends all differences,
whether they are cultural, linguistic or geographic, and keeps us together in an
ever changing world.”
Image from Chinese Lessons: Feibai Wang at the Emily Dickinson Homestead, Amherst, Massachusetts
“A story of the survival of poetry and literary scholarship in China, in spite of both the Japanese invasion of 1937
and the brutally anti-intellectual Cultural Revolution of the 1960’s. Filmmaker Roberto Mighty has brought us a
beautiful glimpse into the world of the distinguished Chinese poet and literary
scholar, Feibai Wang.”
Image from Chinese Lessons: Farewell after a Summer of poetry reading
“This film shows the power of poetry to change people’s lives. In an approach able manner, the film introduces students to the matrix of history and literature. Feibai Wang’s message of the universality of humankind is more than a “feelgood” sentiment. It’s an important example of why literature matters in today’s world. “Chinese Lessons” is a good investment for teachers of literature.””