In spite of not claiming to be "a fan of contests", Chen Geng, the champion of the Chinese Classical Poetry Quiz Show, impressed the audience. She has participated in all four seasons 1the first TV show began in 2016. "When I stood on stage, I was very2, feeling like every cell in my body was boiling, because I was talking about what I cared much about," she says.
Chen 3 poetry just a few years before when she was a 21-year-old postgraduate. She could remember the day when she4 picked up a book about the Tang Dynasty poems written by Jiang Xun. She was attracted by the book immediately.
Most of her free time was5reading and reciting ancient Chinese poems-before breakfast, on the underground, and during summer and winter holidays. A couple of years later, she applied to6the poetry quiz show to test her capabilities.
She is the only one of the7 who has been8 every season since 2016. She says she did worry if the audience would get 9her face. "The audience10have thought: 'It's her again.' But I decided to come, because I believe the time I can be fully devoted to poetry is11. I may not have so much time doing this after I become a busy wife and mother".
The poetry world seem far away from Chen's academic(学术的) study. Her research 12 is to develop wearable smart devices for rehabilitation(复原) purposes. Yet, Chen says her poetry-reading and her major did not 13each other. "Sometimes I would feel 14when facing difficulties in scientific research. Poems gave me 15,"she says.
Peking University offers an open environment for students to develop their various hobbies, according to Chen. There are poetry clubs, debating and public speaking clubs and other culture-related societies16groups for students to choose from. "I really 17the academic atmosphere in the university, which enables us to do what we like freely, with an open and inclusive(兼收并蓄的) attitude," Chen says.
She became a celebrity18the poetry show. She hopes she can influence more people, especially encouraging teenagers to foster a keen interest in poems. Chen 19 her first book about her thoughts and understanding about poetry in 2017. She also writes articles forBeijing Evening Newsand discusses Chinese poems on Tik Tok, a platform for sharing videos, on which she has over130,00020.
"Reading poems opens a door to the new world without boundaries, "Chen says.
