Global Times: China-South Korea Literature Salon held at Korean Cultural Center in Beijing

BEIJING, Oct. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- To thoroughly study, promote, and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Culture and to advance mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations, the Global Times "Reading Through the Seasons" China-South Korea Literature Salon was held on Wednesday at the Korean Cultural Center, China. The event aimed to build a new platform for cultural exchange between China and South Korea through literary dialogue.

Jointly presented by the Global Times, the Korean Cultural Center, and the World Sinology Center at Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU), the event brought together renowned writers and translators from both countries to explore the charm of literature and listen to the symphony of East Asian literature through bilingual verses infused with the fragrance of ink. It was also a continuation of the Global Times' "Reading Through the Seasons" series of events.

Bai Long, deputy editor-in-chief of the Global Times, said in his opening speech that he hopes this event will deepen cultural exchanges between the two countries, foster closer dialogue and more frequent mutual translations among writers, scholars, and publishers, and inspire the younger generation to explore through reading and creation the common challenges faced by humanity. 

Bai noted that the Global Times has long been a witness, recorder, and promoter of literary dialogue and cultural exchange between China and South Korea.

Kim Jin-gon, director of the Korean Cultural Center, China, told the Global Times that South Korea and China are close in geography, connected in culture, and bound by deep people-to-people ties - precious neighbors inseparably linked to each other.

Xu Baofeng, director of the World Sinology Center at BLCU, said young people represent the future of both China and South Korea, and the future of Asia. "We hope that through events like today's literary salon, dialogue between Chinese and South Korean literature will spark new inspiration and meaningful exchanges of ideas."

During the salon, Kim Tae-sung, a South Korean translator and winner of the 10th Special Book Awards of China; Dong Xi, president of the Guangxi Writers Association and professor at Guangxi Minzu University; South Korean writer Lee Jee; and Cui Youxue, associate professor at the School of Chinese Ethnic Minority Languages and Literature, Minzu University of China, shared their journey on the literary exchanges between China and South Korea. 

At the following roundtable discussion, Yin Hanchao, deputy director of the Chinese Studies Center of the National Library of China, said that China and South Korea both belong to the Confucian cultural sphere, therefore share common values and ways of thinking in this regard.

The speakers at the roundtable elaborated on topics such as the locality and globality of contemporary literature from both countries in the context of globalization.

In a major move of advocating for reading and literary exchanges, student representatives from China and South Korea and the hosts jointly launched a reading initiative, calling on youths from the two countries to use books as a bridge and transform literary wisdom into a driving force for action.

Since 2023, the Global Times has hosted five offline events featuring reading and literature.

Bai Long, deputy editor-in-chief of the Global Times: 

From the records of ancient Korean envoys documenting the customs and landscapes of China to the wide circulation of contemporary Chinese and South Korean literary works, books have always served as vital vessels of civilization, bonds of emotion between the two peoples, and witnesses to shared history and changing times. The vibrancy of economic and trade exchanges, coupled with the resonance between civilizations, together paints a colorful picture of the bilateral relationship and provides fertile ground for literary exchanges between China and South Korea.

Kim Jin-gon, director of the Korean Cultural Center, China:

Personally, I believe that literature is the essence of culture. When it is translated into other languages, it becomes the most accessible and profound medium for mutual understanding. I hope that today's literary salon will serve as an opportunity to further expand exchanges and cooperation between South Korea and China in the fields of translation and publishing, deepening mutual understanding and friendship between our peoples.

Xu Baofeng, director of the World Sinology Center at BLCU:

China and South Korea share deep bonds between their peoples and a natural affinity in culture and literature, giving them unique advantages in fostering people-to-people exchanges. The World Sinology Center at BLCU will continue to work with all partners, using language as a medium and culture as a bridge, to deepen academic cooperation. Together, we hope to help Chinese and South Korean literature resonate in harmony through mutual learning, and to steer the vessel of literary friendship between our two countries across mountains and seas toward a brighter shore.

Kim Tae-sung, South Korean translator, winner of the 10th Special Book Awards of China:

South Korea is one of the countries that has absorbed the most Chinese cultural content... If you go right now to a large bookstore in Seoul, how many books related to China can you find? At least more than 1,000. Books related to Lu Xun alone exceed 100. This is probably because, as the nearest neighboring country, there is an urgent need to understand and gain knowledge about China.

Dong Xi, president of the Guangxi Writers Association, professor at Guangxi Minzu University:

Chinese and South Korean literature use the narrative shell of "transformation" to convey distinct themes. Writers from different eras and countries have all employed the motif of "transformation" to express their unique experiences and themes. Every form of "transformation" exists to achieve a sense of normalcy.

Lee Jee, South Korean writer:

Just as flowers, though sharing the same roots, blooming in different colors due to variations in soil and climate, South Korean and Chinese literature have become richer through their differences. If the globalization of literature has been advanced through translation, then the current intergenerational shift is creating another turning point. Readership has undergone more rapid and radical changes in the past decade than those witnessed over the previous hundred years.

Cui Youxue, associate professor at School of Chinese Ethnic Minority Languages and Literature, Minzu University of China:

I would like to share with you my understanding of the poetic nature of Han Kang's literature... The poetic quality of Han's works stems from her steadfast commitment to writing poetry and her continuous effort to infuse poetic elements into fiction.

Yin Hanchao, deputy director of the Chinese Studies Center of the National Library of China:

China and South Korea both belong to the Confucian cultural sphere, therefore share common values and ways of thinking in this regard. Chinese works To Live, Chronicle of a Blood Merchant and South Korea's Stingray all portray fathers as responsible and devoted figures. Such universal cultural symbols resonate deeply across regions and help people empathize with one another.

Roundtable discussions

Chinese and South Korean guests communicated on reading and literary exchanges between the two countries during a roundtable session at the event.

Reading begins with our neighbors, said Dong Xi. Many of our literature courses today take a long detour before paying attention to East Asian authors. Yet when we read South Korean works, there's a sense of familiarity: We share the same roots, our cultures are similar, and the issues we face are often alike. The most important aspect of universality lies in humanity: If a work embodies genuine human emotions, it will move readers all over the world.

Yin Hanchao said that, from a translator's perspective, Chinese translators were already thinking about how to better translate Chinese works for the world more than a century ago. For a nation to have the vision and confidence to present its own works to the world for others to appreciate, judge, or even critique, that in itself is a true expression of cultural confidence.

In Kim Tae-sung's view, language is the vessel of culture, and the only means to digest it is through reading. He said Chinese author Liu Zhenyun's novels possess a kind of narrative humor, while Dong Xi's works are remarkable for their skillful use of metaphor. Both are distinctive qualities of Chinese writers. South Korean literature should engage in deeper exchanges with Chinese literature, he said.

As a novelist, Lee Jee said we should foster closer literary exchanges through fiction. Only works written with tears and blood can evoke true empathy among people around the world - that's how they travel beyond borders.

According to Cui Youxue, for translators, all literary history is essentially a history of translation. He believes translators have made great contributions to the development of national literatures, languages, and even to the formation of nations themselves. Reading, in turn, is a form of spiritual communication: A good novel can profoundly move the heart, and those who read feel spiritually fulfilled every day.

SOURCE Global Times