Writing, Sharing and Growing: Creative Writing in English at a Mainland Chinese University

Abstract

The teaching of Creative Writing in the Department of English at Sun Yat-senUniversity in South China has its own particular characteristics. First, to myknowledge, this is one of the very first English Creative Writing courses taught byMainland Chinese faculty to students for whom English is a second language.Another important factor is that the Creative Writing program at Sun Yat-sen hasdeveloped not only as a writing experience, but also as a context for counselling andtherapy for students. The students taking these courses write from the experience oftheir own lives, and the workshops that are integral to the program have provided acontext where students can share the experiences they write from. Students havecome to regard the program as a safe space where they can share their experiencesabout growing up, as well as their personal relationships with family and friends.Teaching this course over the last year has led me to believe that Creative Writing notonly serves to improve students’ writing ability, but may also provide an educationalcontext that helps students share experiences, and enables them to grow as people.