Bulletin of the Department of Chinese Literature

1. This issue of the Bulletin of the Department of Chinese Literature, National Chengchi University (“the Bulletin”) received a total of 26 submissions (14 from Taiwan and 12 from overseas). 5 submissions were rejected and returned after preliminary editorial committee review. Of the remaining 21 submissions, 20 submissions excluding the feature article went through double-blind reviews by two extramural experts for each submission. Excluding the feature article, 4 out of 25 submissions were accepted, resulting in an acceptance rate of 16 percent, and a rejection rate of 84 percent. This issue publishes 6 formal academic articles, with 2 articles by full-time teachers of the Department of Chinese Literature, National Chengchi University, the rate for internal release is 33.3 percent. The Bulletin aims to enhance academic quality, broaden research perspectives, and cordially invites submissions from scholars.
2. In this issue, we feature “ On Xu Xu’s Poetic Creation” written by Professor Li Yi, The College of Literature and Journalism, Sichuan University. Recognizing that studies of creators often confine themselves to specific labels or genres, overlooking innovations in other fields, this article attempts to explore Xu Xu’s endeavors in modern poetry, distinct from his acclaim in fiction, presenting his diverse profile in the history of modern Chinese literature. In terms of content, while contemporaneous poets whose styles evolve with life’s progression, Xu Xu’s poetry consistently maintains a distance from historical and social changes, attentively observing without blindly following the trends of the times. Thus, when addressing themes like solitude or death, Xu Xu does not emulate the melancholic style of the New Moon School, inherited from the Late Tang and Five Dynasties, to depict suppressed emotions. Instead, he continually surpasses these struggles, persistently questioning the values and meanings of religion, civilization, and life, remaining concerned with his homeland and human nature on the periphery of mainstream literature. In terms of form, as various modern poetry schools oscillated between musical freedom and metrical structure, Xu Xu developed a dialogue form based on the New Moon School’s rhyme and monologue/dialogue structure to restore the clash of different viewpoints. He also explored the musicalization of modern poetry using classical lyrics and folk songs. The author notes that although Xu Xu’s attempts in modern poetry were not always successful, his lifelong creation of naturally expressive and compelling poetry through free rhythms and diverse verse forms deserves renewed recognition and appreciation for his artistic pursuit.
3. This issue originally planned a special article column section “Past Memories in Pre-Qin and Han Dynasty Documents”, but after review, the number of articles recommended for publication was limited, which made it difficult to demonstrate the richness of the designed theme. Therefore, this special section was canceled. The submissions were reassigned as general submissions.
4. The special article column section of the 42^th issue, titled “Historical Narratives in the Study of Modern Chinese Literature—Multiple Paths of Reality, Conventions, and Situational Presentations.” The study of modern Chinese literature involves various dimensions, as described by Edward Hallett Carr, involving “an endless process of interaction between facts, a continuous questioning and answering between the present and the past.” In other words, the “present” in the study of modern literary history is an extension of the “historical” continuum. When researchers stand in the “present” and look back to the “past,” extracting a historical segment from linear time and space and endowing it with a “new” order and interpretation, the entangled relationship between the “present” and “history” undergoes repeated oscillations. Literature thus acquires developmental significance in terms of era and spirit, society and culture, as well as thought and academia. In order to elucidate the intricate relationships between modern literature and history, researchers in the field have explored various forms of expression, shuttling between reality, conventions, and situations. They focus on the writer’s psyche, life, the emergence of textual works, societal development, and even ecological history, continuously approaching the so-called “real literary history” from multidimensional research perspectives.
   Through the ongoing discovery and release of materials that were once confined, suppressed, obscured, or forgotten, dialogue and interaction between the past and present become more aligned with clarification and interpretation, responding more effectively to emerging research questions. This dynamic process stimulates new flows in the history of modern literature, opening up various possibilities in the literary scene. We hereby invite submissions for the special topic on “Historical Narratives in the Study of Modern Chinese Literature—Multiple Paths of Reality, Conventions, and Situational Presentations.” Contributions may encompass the construction of modern literary history, new forms of practicality, analyses and discussions starting from newspapers, texts, and diaries, returning to the “literary scene,” as well as cross-context and cross-cultural discourse on modern Chinese literature. We welcome submissions from scholars worldwide to collectively build a profound and extensive understanding of issues related to “modern Chinese literature.” Submission for this special article column section ends by the beginning of September 2024.
5. The special article column section of the 43^th issue, titled “The Multiple Narratives of Material, Images, and Myth” is curated by Professor Gao Li-fen, Department of Chinese Literature, National Chengchi University. The development of academic research is a process of discovering phenomena, uncovering truths, and proposing explanations, reflections, and solutions through continuous dialogue across different fields. Therefore, the pursuit of knowledge and truth should include both orthodox, mainstream academic thought and unorthodox, non-mainstream ideas and cultures for a comprehensive understanding. Michel Foucault (1926-1984)’s works, such as “The Order of Things” (French: Les Mots et les choses: un archeologie des sciences humaines), highlight that the concept of “Man” is shaped by recent knowledge. Foucault’s research is particularly enlightening for contemporary humanities in exploring the interaction between words and objects. While traditional humanities have long focused on textual records, “Objects” possess greater visual and physical reality, playing a crucial role in the genealogy of human knowledge. In modern humanities research, there is an increasing focus on “material” and “material culture,” interpreting diverse cultural messages from objects, artifacts, and images that textual records may not capture. With the growing interest in material and image studies within the humanities, the boundaries between disciplines such as archaeology, history, literature, art, religion, philosophy, and communication are increasingly blurred. Mythology, inherently interdisciplinary, has adopted the multiple evidence approach. Modern research now extends beyond textual limitations, incorporating excavated documents, oral traditions, non-material culture, objects, and images to explore dynamic oral narratives and the narratives of “things.” Myths, both as sacred narratives and broader oral traditions, convey human interpretations of existence, the world, and the universe. These narratives are preserved in ancient histories, literature, and various material cultures such as ritual vessels, everyday objects, paintings, sculptures, and architecture. They are crucial for understanding human thought and culture. In this context, the special topic “Material, Images, and Myth” invites scholars and experts to contribute. The aim is to foster dialogue and reflection on human knowledge, enriching the understanding of the humanities through diverse narratives. Submission for this special article column section ends by the beginning of March 2025.
6. The Bulletin continues to win subsidies this year. It was selected as a THCI Core journal in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, and won the highest biennial ranking of THCI consecutively in 2016, 2018 2020 and 2023, by the Research Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences, Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan. We hereby thank all of our supporters in the academic fields and the Research Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences for their recognition and acknowledgement.
7. In order to provide a platform for smooth submission and communication, to promote specialization, internationalization and digital accessibility, the Bulletin established a new and designated website sponsored by Research Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences with multilingual user interfaces supporting Chinese, English and Japanese in June 2023. The main content on the website includes latest news, submission requirements, and provide access to view and download past issues. The website facilitates viewing and circulation, as well as integration with domestic and overseas academic circles. The new website address is https://bdcl.nccu.edu.tw
8. The Bulletin has been publishing electronic versions simultaneously with paper versions since inception. The content of the Bulletin is included in and downloadable from databases of academic journals including Airiti Library(www.airitilibrary.com), HyRead Journal (www.hyread.com.tw), TOAJ (https://toaj.stpi.narl.org.tw), LawData (https://lawdata.com.tw), NCL Taiwan Periodical Literature(https://tpl.ncl.edu.tw/NclService), Taiwan Citation Index – Humanities and Social Sciences (https://tci.ncl.edu.tw), Taiwan Journals Search (https://p.udpweb.com/soc), etc. In addition, the Bulletin is also included in the NCCU academic journal database system (https://nccur.lib.nccu.edu.tw), available for all scholars to use.

9. We hereby extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation for all the support and hard work by submitters, reviewers, the Bulletin editorial committee, special article column coordinators, editors and Showwe Information Co., Ltd., who made the successful publication of this issue possible.

The Bulletin of the Department of Chinese Literature
National Chengchi University Editors June 2024