A reading salon centered around the Jiangsu Literature and Scholars Translated series takes place at the University of Leeds on Oct 21.

A reading salon centered around the newly released books from the Jiangsu Literature and Scholars Translated series was held at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom on Oct 21.

Poets, writers, scholars, and translators from China, the UK, Spain, and other countries discussed the project's international reach. They shared insights and experiences related to translating and publishing the project's flagship work, A Garden Lost and Found, focusing on the creation and reading of poetry.

British translator Nicky Harman speaks at the event.

Hu Xian, the author of the poetry collection A Garden Lost and Found, attended the event through a livestream. He cited British Poet Laureate Simon Armitage's poem The Evening and his own poem North Wind as examples to discuss ideas like "passing" and "time" in poetry.

Simon Armitage describes himself as a nature poet. While celebrating nature, he also focuses heavily on promoting poetry, a philosophy he shares with Hu, the editor-in-chief of a Chinese poetry magazine. Over the years, Hu has discovered many young poets and seen great success in advancing poetry.

Young poet Maidou from Jiangsu province, China, shared his insights on Hu's collection at the event. He compared Hu to Swedish poet Tomas Transtromer, noting that Hu's imagery and creative expression connect across eras and cultures with Western modern poets, yet remain deeply grounded in China's rich traditional culture.

British translator Nicky Harman, who received the 14th Special Book Award of China and is a senior expert in translating for the Jiangsu Scholars Translated series, shared her insights from her years of work in translation and promoting the project.

Frances Weightman, director of the University of Leeds Centre for Contemporary Chinese Literature, speaks at the event.

Frances Weightman, director of the University of Leeds Centre for Contemporary Chinese Literature, has demonstrated a consistent interest in Chinese writers' works. She shared her experiences in reading and analyzing Dinner for Six in an online book club. She also organized discussions with research scholars and the delegation on topics including the translation and publication of Jiangsu Literature and Scholars Translated series, translator selection, and overseas dissemination. She expressed enthusiasm for ongoing cooperation with the project.