What is this Substack about?

The Three Hundred Tang Poems is a collection of Chinese poems from the Tang Dynasty(618-907). It was first compiled in the 18th century, and it actually contains a bit more than three hundred poems. I will be translating one poem from the collection every week and attach a few lines of my musing to send them to you.

Why are you doing this?

One of my quiet pasttimes is to read short poems in Classical Chinese. (Is Classical Chinese ancient? Is it different from Modern Mandarin? Yes and no, to both questions!) It is often a soothing, reassuring, reawakening, and chastening experience. I want to share this experience with you. While there are already good English translations out there, I would like to focus more on creating a personal space between you and I, where we can read medieval Chinese poems together by small bits.

Who’s behind this?

I am Hyun Woo Kim, a writer living in Seoul and a finalist of the 2023 Los Angeles Review Short Fiction Award. My published works can be read here. When not writing, I am often busy telling people online that my name is Hyun Woo, not Hyun. Naturally, there will be times when I mention my writing life, since I read poems through my own experiences, just as any real living person does. I, however, would rather stay more as a reader of poems than a writer on this Substack.

Why subscribe?

I want to share one medieval Chinese poem with you every week because I like them and I think you will like them too. What could be a better reason than that?