About:
Fu Xinci 傅歆辭, Ph.D. candidate in UCSB EALCS department, researches on medieval Chinese literature, with a focus on early and mid-Tang poetry and literati culture. He is also interested in world literature in premodern context, digital humanities, and literary exchanges in the Sinitic literary phere. His previous research explores how poetry exchange functioned as a vibrant literary culture in the Tang Dynasty and how topographical writings played an important role in sociality.
His dissertation examines the cultural history of hen 恨 (unfulfillment) in Tang China, with a focus on its evolving role in Tang literature and literati culture. It reconsiders the interplay among literature, emotion, and society in the medieval era. Since the Southern Dynasties poet Jiang Yan’s 江淹 (444–505) tearful statement in “Rhapsody on Resentment” (Henfu 恨賦), hen emerged as a prominent and increasingly autonomous theme in medieval Chinese writing. The founding of the Tang dynasty opened a new phase in the literary writings of hen 恨 and the broader category of qing 情 (emotion), which lies at the heart of my study. It traces the theme from Early Tang scholars’ critical annotations on hen, to the multifaceted engagements of mid-Tang literati—who explored hen via social performance, poetic innovation, and metaphysical reflection.
Academic History
- B.A. in Chinese Literature and Language, University of Hong Kong.
- M.A. in Chinese Studies, National University of Singapore.
- Ph.D. in East Asian Languages & Cultural Studies (in progress).
Advisors
Awards and Fellowships
- 2018 Dr SH HO Prize in Chinese studies
- 2019 Cheung Nim-ping Prizes in Chinese Literature
- 2019 Professor So Man Jock Prizes in Chinese Literature
- 2019 Professor Tsui Ying Chun Prizes in Chinese Literature
- 2020 Sung Hon Ting Cheng Pui Lan Memorial Scholarship
- 2021 Graduate Teaching Fellowship, NUS
- 2023 Chancellor’s Doctoral Fellowship, UCSB
- 2024 Presentation Honorarium, Arizona State University
- 2024 Harvard Institution of World Literature Fellowship
- 2024 Singapore Association of Writers Medal and Prize for Chinese Studies, NUS
Conference Presentations
- “Performing Talent As Locals: The Construction And Localization Of Late Tang Zhejiang浙江Poets’ Literary Reputation”. The 6th ZJU-NUS Frontier of Chinese Language and Literature, Zhejiang University, September 1st, 2023.
- “Topographic Writings and Poetic Competence: a Late Tang (827-907) Local Literary Group’s Poetic Learning and Poetry Exchanges”. CU Boulder Asian Studies Graduate Conference, February 24th, 2024.
- “Bitter Intoning as Literary Persona: Fang Gan and Du Xunhe’s Self-Representations in Poetry Exchanges”. Modern Language Association, Rocky Mountain, October 11th, 2024.
- “Outside the Private Garden: How Pi Rixiu and Lu Guimeng Wrote and Thought about Tai Lake Stone Addiction” Annual Meeting of American Oriental Society, Western Branch, 2024.
- “Annotating Emotion: How Early Tang Imperial Scholars Reacted to Writings of Hen恨 in Wenxuan文選” Annual Meeting of American Oriental Society, Western Branch, 2025.
Translations
Jao, Tsung-I饒宗頤. “Suyab, the True Birthplace of Li Bai” (李白出生地——碎葉) in “Collected Works of Jao Tsung-I：Xuantang Anthology”, edited by Professor. Nicholas Morrow Williams.
