Love, Ideas and Rivalries: A Circle of Chinese Intellectuals in the Early 20th Century
Yabei Hu
The lecture is in English. More info in English below text in Icelandic.
Yabei Hu, kínverskukennari og myndasöguteiknari, fjallar um líf, hugmyndir og flókin tengsl innan heillandi hóps kínverskra hugsuða snemma á 20. öld. Fyrirlesturinn gefur lifandi innsýn í þennan áhugaverða hóp og hentar öllum, óháð fyrri þekkingu á kínverskri sögu eða bókmenntum.
Viðburðurinn er hluti af fyrirlestraröðinni Snarl og spjall um Kína sem Kínversk-íslenska menningarfélagið stendur að í samvinnu við Konfúsíusarstofnunina Norðurljós. Fyrirlesturinn fer fram fimmtudaginn 19. mars 2026, kl.17:30, í stofu 007 í Veröld – húsi Vigdísar og er öllum opinn. Ekki gjaldskylda á bifreiðastæðum eftir kl. 17:00.
Boðið er upp á veitingar og geta gestir spjallað saman, myndað tengsl eða guanxi, eins og það heitir á kínversku. Síðan hefst frásögn Lin Yan.
Það þarf að yfirgefa stofuna fyrir kl. 18:45 en hægt að halda áfram að spjall fyrir utan hana.
ENGLISH:
Brilliant, controversial, and deeply human—this talk explores the lives, achievements, and tangled relationships of some of the most fascinating intellectuals in early 20th-century China.
In early 20th-century China, a remarkable group of writers, poets, and scholars helped shape modern Chinese culture. Their work transformed literature, architecture, and intellectual life—but their personal relationships were just as dramatic as their ideas.
This talk introduces several fascinating figures from this circle: Lin Huiyin, Xu Zhimo, Liang Sicheng, Jin Yuelin, Hu Shi, Zhang Youyi, Lu Xiaoman, and Ling Shuhua.
We will explore their achievements in poetry, philosophy, architecture, and literature, while also tracing the complex web of friendships, romances, marriages, and intellectual rivalries that connected them. Their stories illuminate a transformative moment in Chinese history when traditional society was giving way to modern ideas—and when personal choices often carried profound cultural consequences.
The talk is designed for a general audience with no prior knowledge of Chinese history or literature. Through biography and storytelling, it offers a vivid introduction to the people behind one of the most intriguing intellectual circles of modern China.
Yabei Hu is a Chinese teacher at the Confucius Institute in Iceland with a strong interest in storytelling, history and culture. Before moving into education, she worked as a consultant for Ernst & Young in telecom, media, and technology, collaborating with some of the biggest brand names in the world. Outside the classroom, she draws comics and shares them on Instagram under “So Bear Comics.” Her book -Mostly at Home- can be found in Nexus.
The event is part of the lecture series Snacks and Chat about China organized by the Chinese-Icelandic Cultural Society in collaboration with the Northern Lights Confucius Institute. The talk will be in English and takes place in room VHV-007, downstairs in Veröld – house of Vigdís, on Thursday March 19 2026, 17:30. Everybody have to leave the room before 18:45 but chat can continue outside the room.
Light refreshments – all warmly welcome!
