Lunar New Year celebration: Big pao meets poetry

Register for a zoom link

Poetry and Chinese cuisine

André Taber notes that:

"Chinese restaurants have become important gathering places for the Chinese community, where they maintain their culinary traditions and cultural identity. Chinese restaurants have also developed as places of reinvention, innovation and cross-cultural exchange, introducing other New Zealanders to new communities and cultural experiences and enlarging their culinary horizons."

Growing up in his parents’ Chinese restaurant and grocery store, Chris Tse has often written about his and others' experiences of the culinary traditions of China and the clash with the new world.

Poetry performances

During a conversation with André and Chris, a small group of Chinese New Zealand poets will share their favourite poems which touch on their relationship to Chinese food and traditions.

There will be a chance to sample some Chinese snacks.

Can’t make it in person?

Can't make it in person? This event will also be delivered using Zoom. You do not need to install the software to attend, you can opt to run Zoom from your browser.

Register if you’d like to join this talk and we'll send you the link to use on the day.

Register for a zoom link

About the speakers

André Taber has been researching this history with support from the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust and Whiria Te Mahara New Zealand History Grants, funded by the New Zealand History Research Trust Fund at the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. He is a food historian based in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Chris Tse was born and raised in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. He studied film and English literature at Victoria University of Wellington and also completed an MA in Creative Writing at the International Institute of Modern Letters. In 2022, he was named the 13th New Zealand Poet Laureate. His poetry, short fiction, and non-fiction have been recorded for radio and widely published in numerous journals, magazines and anthologies. He has published several collections of poetry and his latest book Super Model Minority (2022) was longlisted for the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2023.

Renee Liang is a poet, paediatrician, playwright, child health researcher and essayist. She's a massive foodie (that goes without saying, she's Cantonese) reclaiming her heritage by learning to make ancestral foods — recent achievements have been zhong (rice dumpling) and mooncakes. A positive review from her parents is (almost) worth more than a review for one of her creative works! Renee has toured eight plays and collaborates on visual arts works, dance, film, opera, community events and music. Some poetry and short fiction are anthologised. A memoir of motherhood, When We Remember to Breathe, with Michele Powles, appeared in 2019. In 2018 she was appointed a Member of the NZ Order of Merit for services to the arts.

Maddie Ballard is a Chinese-Pākehā writer from Tāmaki Makaurau. She has recently completed an MA in creative writing at the International Institute of Modern Letters. Her debut essay collection, Bound: A Memoir of Making and Remaking, will be published by The Emma Press in 2024.

Lynda Chanwai-Earle is a fourth-generation Chinese New Zealander. Born in London in 1965 she spent her early childhood in Papua New Guinea before completing her education in New Zealand. She studied creative writing with Albert Wendt and graduated from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1990 and a Diploma in Drama in 1994. Lynda also graduated with a Masters of Arts in Creative Writing at Victoria University’s International Institute of Modern Letters in 2006. Based in Wellington, she has been a full-time Features Producer at Radio New Zealand, creating the weekly Voices programme and other documentaries. Lynda was the 2019 Writer in Residence at Victoria University of Wellington.

Check before you come

Due to COVID-19 some of our events can be cancelled or postponed at very short notice. Please check the website for updated information about individual events before you come. For more general information about National Library services and exhibitions, have a look at our COVID-19 page.