Book Launch: The Years in My Hair: 诗选 (1966-2017)

Spanning six decades, The Years in My Hair: 诗选 (1966-2017) brings the work of Singaporean Chinese poet Dan Ying to English-language readers in a new translation by Christina Ng.

Join us for an afternoon of readings and conversation surrounding Dan Ying’s extensive literary oeuvre. The conversation between Christina Ng and Prof. Wong Yoon Wah (poet, writer and recipient of the Cultural Medallion) traces the different ways Dan Ying observes, inhabits and makes sense of the world around her. From her interactions with the natural world and playful reflections on the everyday realities of womanhood, to the search for balance through Taichi, Dan Ying’s poetry reveals a poet deeply attentive to both the world around her and the world within.

The conversation will also offer a glimpse into the process of bringing Dan Ying’s poetry into English. Translator Christina Ng will share the choices and considerations behind her translations, and how she approached poetry whose simple, graceful language carries layers of emotion, metaphor and cultural meaning.

BACK TO TDSG 2026 PROGRAMMES

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Christina Ng

Christina Ng is a Singaporean writer, journalist and translator based in Berlin. Working between English and Chinese, she has interpreted for film and theatre productions, as well as written and translated essays, interviews and features on art, travel, and culture. Her Chinese to English literary translations include poetry by Singaporean poets Dan Ying, Pan Shou and Liang Wern Fook.

Wong Yoon Wah

Wong Yoon Wah is the Dean of Faculty of Chinese Studies and Senior Professor of Chinese Studies at Southern University in Malaysia. He is a veteran writer who has won many awards including Singapore Cultural Medallion, ASEAN Cultural Award (in literature) and Southeast Asia Write Award (Thailand). Professor Wong’s creative works span across prose and poetry, including Beyond Symbols, Taste of Durian, Tropical Rainforest and British Colony (the English version was renamed The New Village). As an academic, Professor Wong is a scholar specialising in Chinese literature, comparative literature, and Chinese literature in Southeast Asia.