Department History

The Department of Chinese Language and Literature, established in 1980, was the first humanities department at National Tsing Hua University (NTHU). In 1995, it was renamed the Department of Chinese Literature due to a restructuring within the university. Currently, the Department offers undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs.

The Department of Chinese Literature stands out among Chinese literature departments in Taiwan due to its distinctive curriculum. In 2017, in response to an increase in the global demand for advanced Chinese language teaching professionals, the Department divided the undergraduate program into two branches: a general branch, which focuses on the traditional study of Chinese literature, and a Chinese language teaching branch. In 2019, the master's program was also divided into two branches after a Chinese language teaching division was added to the program.

Currently, the Department has 214 undergraduate students, 81 master's students, and 56 doctoral students. Each academic year, the Department admits 50 undergraduate students, 15 master's students, and 4 doctoral students. In addition, the Department admits a limited number of students from overseas Chinese communities, mainland China, and other countries.

 

Department Features

The Department’s faculty members engage in research across various fields, including classical literature, intellectual thought, linguistics, language teaching, and modern and contemporary literature and culture. Our faculty is well known for their research contributions and lively teaching styles. With respect to our students’ academic development, the Department faculty consistently encourage students to organize and attend international conferences. In addition, in 2007, the Department founded the "Tsing Hua Journal of Chinese Literature," which today ranks as one of the top-graded journals in Taiwan. In the future, the Department will undoubtedly continue to shed light on important scholarly issues and lead discussions on consequential topics.

The Department's curriculum covers a range of topics, including classical literature, intellectual thought, modern and contemporary literature, cultural studies, literary theory, linguistics, and professional writing. The wide range of courses offered by the Department not only provides students with foundational training, but it is also designed to impart professional skills, allowing for greater flexibility in future career choices. Our students have the option to engage in academic research or enter the cultural and creative job market. For those choosing the latter, the Department offers practical extension courses to enhance their competitiveness in the workplace.

Furthermore, the Department maintains close ties with international universities. Many students receive annual scholarships to participate in international student exchange programs and engage in overseas studies and research for periods ranging from two months to one year. Additionally, each year, several dozen students come to our department for exchange studies from prestigious institutions such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, as well as from countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, the United States, France, Italy, the Czech Republic, and others. This international atmosphere helps our students develop creative thinking and an open mindset. In 2015, the Department established the continuing education unit "Yuehan Xuetang." In recent years, the Yuehan Xuetang has offered summer courses in Chinese literature for overseas European and American university students and graduates, receiving widespread positive feedback.

The Department and the Humanities and Social Sciences Library are both located within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The Humanities and Social Sciences Library houses a wide range of books and journals in the humanities and social sciences. The Department’s faculty and students can conveniently utilize these resources, which are located nearby. Moreover, they also have access to the following spaces: administrative offices, faculty research rooms, regular classrooms, seminar rooms, graduate student research rooms, and a graduate student lounge.

 

Department Goals and Values

Since its establishment, the Department of Chinese Literature has been committed to implementing insightful and innovative teaching and research methods. As the educational and social environment evolves, the Department constantly adjusts its strategies to cultivate outstanding Chinese language professionals for society.

In terms of undergraduate education, the Department emphasizes a traditional liberal arts education and, from an international perspective, encourages students to immerse themselves in Chinese literature and to contemplate the relevance of traditional and contemporary issues. With respect to postgraduate studies, the Department provides opportunities for international academic exchanges and guides students to develop creative expertise. The Department’s teaching and research are grounded in the vision of "quality academic teaching and performance" upheld by National Tsing Hua University.

In today's era of globalization, Chinese has become an international language. For Chinese learners pursuing greater proficiency, a deeper understanding of Chinese culture and literature is essential. In order to facilitate global thinking, the Department has prioritized the establishment of partnerships with Chinese studies institutions worldwide. Equally important, the Department has fulfilled its responsibility to society by actively contributing to the development of the discourse on language and cultural education.

 

Department Curriculum

The undergraduate curriculum is divided into three parts: "Basic Required Courses," "Core Required Courses," and "Specialized Electives." The "Basic Required Courses" consist of 26 credits, which include: “Basic Writing,” “Introduction to Literature,” “Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing Prose,” “Selected Readings of Six Dynasties Prose,” “Survey of Chinese Language & Linguistics,” “General Linguistics,” “Chinese Grammatology,” “Chinese Phonology,” “English for Chinese Studies,” and other courses.

The “Core Required Courses” consist of 33 credits, including: “History of Chinese Literature (I) and (II),” “History of Chinese Thought (I) and (II),” “Selected Readings from Chinese Poetry,” “Introduction to Traditional Chinese Fiction,” “Selected Readings from Ci Poetry,” “Selected Readings in Chinese Opera,” “Chinese Literary Criticism,” “Introduction to the Classics,” “Selected Readings in Classic Chinese Philosophy,” “Selected Readings in the Five Classics,” “Modern Chinese Poetry,” “Modern Chinese Prose,” “History of Chinese Modern Literature,” “Modern Chinese Fiction,” “Modern Drama,” “Modern Literary Theory,” and others.

The "Specialized Electives" are divided into the General Track and the Chinese Language Teaching Track. In the General Track, students can choose 24 credits from the three major categories of classical literature, intellectual thought, and modern literature and cultural studies. The Chinese Language Teaching Track includes 6 required credits and 21 elective credits.

After completing the "Basic Required Courses" and "Core Required Courses," students can choose specialized elective courses based on their interests and future career objectives.

Students also have the option to enroll in university-wide interdisciplinary programs (as well as those offered by the University System in Taiwan), including the Education Program, Information and Media Studies Program, Social Studies Program, Gender Studies Program, Cultural Studies Program, Law Program, and Art Program. Additionally, students can apply for minors, double majors, or engage in interdisciplinary learning to meet future employment demands and strengthen their professional skills.

For the master's program, 24 credits are required for graduation, whereas for the doctoral program, 18 credits are required. In addition to the completion of the thesis, both master's and doctoral programs have elective courses, with each course being worth 3 credits per semester. Doctoral students must pass three qualification exams within four years of enrollment, with the subjects being determined based on the students' research topics and thesis outlines. For the Chinese Language Teaching Track of the master’s program, the graduation credits include 6 required credits and 3 elective credits.

 

Full-Time Faculty

Name	Education	Title	Research Interests
Skonicki, Douglas Edward	PhD. in East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University, USA	Professor and  Chairman	Intellectual History of the Song Dynasty
CHAN, Kwok Kou Leonard	PhD. in Chinese Literature, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong	Chair Professor	Historiography of Literature, Chinese Literary Criticism, Chinese Poetry and Poetics, Hong Kong Literature
Lee, Chen-Hui	PhD. in Chinese Literature, National  Taiwan University, Taiwan	Professor	Classical Chinese Prose, Literature of the Song Dynasty, Chinese Narrative Studies
Liu, Jen-Peng	PhD. in Chinese Literature, National  Taiwan University, Taiwan	Professor	Late Qing and Modern Sexuality and Gender, Queer Studies, Politics of Emotion
Liu, Cheng-Hui	PhD. in Linguistics, Ohio State University, USA	Professor	Historical Linguistics, Chinese Grammar Studies
Guan, Kean-Fung	PhD. in Chinese Literature, National  Chengchi University, Taiwan	Professor	Late Qing Literature, Modern Fiction
Lee, Hsin-Hsi	PhD. in Chinese Literature, National  Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan	Associate Professor and Vice Chairman	Classical Poetry Composition, Tang Poetry, Ming-Qing Poetry
Biing, Shang-Bair	PhD. in Chinese Literature, National  Taiwan University, Taiwan	Associate Professor	Unearthed Texts, Lexicology, Chinese Phonology, Exegesis, The Songs of the South
Chu, Ping-Tzu	PhD. in East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University, USA	Associate Professor	Neo-Confucianism in the Song and Ming Dynasties, Confucian Ethics, Digital Humanities Studies
Chan,Chi-Tak	PhD. in Chinese Literature, Lingnan University, Hong Kong	Associate Professor	Hong Kong Literature, Modern Chinese Literature, Hong Kong Cinema, Taiwan-Hong Kong Literature
Hsu, Ming-Chuan	PhD. in Chinese Literature, National  Taiwan University, Taiwan	Associate Professor	Tang Poetry, Six Dynasties Poetry, Classical Poetics
Nabeshima, Asuka	PhD. in Chinese Literature, Nishogakusha University, Japan	Associate Professor	Intellectuals in the Ming Dynasty, Chinese Classics Studies, Japanese Sinology
Yang, Chia-Hsien	PhD. in Chinese Literature, National  Taiwan University, Taiwan	Associate Professor	Modern Chinese Literature, Contemporary Taiwanese Literature, Teaching Writing
Chien, Liang-Ju	PhD. in Chinese Literature, National Taiwan University, Taiwan PhD. in Classical Chinese Philology, Beijing Normal University, China	Associate Professor	Study of the Book of Songs (Shijing), Wenxin Diaolong and Literary Thought and Discourses, Pre-Qin Classics Studies and Pre-Qin Intellectuals
Lo, Shih-Lung	PhD. in Theatre Studies, Sorbonne Nouvelle University, Paris, France.	Associate Professor	Modern and Contemporary Drama, Literary Translation and Reception, Critical Writing
Yew, Boon Hock	PhD. in Chinese Literature, National  Tsing Hua University, Taiwan	Assistant Professor	Classical Chinese Grammar, Linguistics
Chang, Jun-Hsi	PhD. in Chinese Literature, National  Chengchi University, Taiwan	Assistant Professor	Classical Chinese Novels, Narrative Literature in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Chinese Narrative Studies

Joint Faculty

Name	Education	Title	Research Interests
Tsai, Ying-Chun	PhD. in Comparative Literary Studies, University of Warwick, England	Chair Professor	Contemporary Literary Theory, Chinese Literary Criticism
Lin, Tsung-Shun	PhD. in Chinese Literature, National  Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan	Professor	Pre-Qin Intellectuals in the Han and Qin Dynasties, Wei-Jin Intellectuals, Historical Records (Shiji) and Book of Han, Intellectuals in the Ming and Qing Dynasties
Chen, Shu-Fen	PhD. in Linguistics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA	Professor	Chinese Linguistics, Linguistics of Buddhist Scriptures, Sanskrit-Chinese Translation Studies
Wei-Tien Dylan Tsai	Ph.D. in Linguistics,  Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA	Professor	Grammar Theory, Chinese Syntax, Syntax-Semantics Interface Studies, Syntax of Austronesian Languages
Wu, Chen-Huei	PhD. in Linguistics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA	Associate Professor	Chinese Phonetics, Teaching Chinese as a Second Language, Second Language Acquisition

 

Contact Information

Department of Chinese Literature,

National Tsing Hua University

Website: http://www.cl.nthu.edu.tw

Phone Number: 03-5713677  Fax Number: 03-5725973

Address: No. 101, Section 2, Kuang-Fu Road, Hsinchu, Taiwan 300044, R.O.C

Email: cl@my.nthu.edu.tw