Yang Hao has lived in Dublin for the past three years; she describes it as a “city filled with ghosts”.
“Dublin should be a joyful city but there is a certain sadness floating around in the air. While people here are not silent as in Switzerland or Germany, I feel like there is a kind of silent or unspoken thing hidden in this country.”
Yang’s father is a poet, whose pen name is Lulu, and during her childhood in Beijing he instilled in her a reverence for Irish poetry.
“His favourite poet is WB Yeats. I think Irish poets occupy a very special position in the scope of world literature. Though I myself write novels, poems are always a great inspiration to me.”
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She believes all the great Irish literary figures have ghosts and that’s why the city is full of ghosts.
“It’s a tiny city but there are so many great poets and novelists which makes it more special.”
After publishing her second book in China she was struggling to find the inspiration to write.
She decided to go back to university as she believes that “you must think before you write” and that doing a PHD would give her time to think.
She wanted to study somewhere where Mandarin was not spoken as “literature is something that’s stranger than everyday life and the language we use to write literature should be a little stranger than the language we use every day”.
“I have a deep admiration for Irish writers, especially Samuel Beckett as he is my literary idol. He graduated from Trinity. So, I decided to come to Trinity College to continue my academic career and writing career.”
Now in her third year of a comparative literature PHD at Trinity College Dublin, she spends her days researching things like “[the philosopher] Martin Heidegger’s thoughts or French philosophy and postmodernism.”
In the face of calls for more vocational university degrees in Ireland, she is an ardent defender of the humanities. Though she admits these degrees don’t train people for specific jobs, she believes they teach people how to problem solve and other skills that can be applied to the workplace.
“Someone called Trinity a privileged bubble but I think that for humanities or literary research you have to be in a bubble just considering the current global situation.”
After leaving school she studied screenwriting at the Beijing Film Academy, she then did a master’s in art history at St Andrews before moving to London for a time. She then lived in Beijing and worked as an independent writer.
“UK people are very different from Irish people. Irish people are more helpful and enthusiastic. I think British people are more conservative. I feel Ireland is much more green than the UK.”
However, she did notice some similarities between the two nations.
“They are both island nations. Like in the UK, Irish people like going to the seaside and when the sun comes out everyone just goes.”
For the second year, Yang is living in a studio flat in a student accommodation development in the Liberties.
“I think finding housing is a problem here in Dublin, especially considering the price and the market. So I think student accommodation is convenient and also, it’s affordable.”
Yang feels less safe walking home alone late at night in Dublin than she did back in Beijing.
“When I walk in the late night here I feel a bit insecure. I don’t know whether that’s because I am an Asian girl.”
I think the literary environment here is really inspiring
She believes that in general anti-immigrant sentiment is growing across Europe. Recent visits to France and Germany seemed to confirm this for her.
“I remember when I visited Europe 10 years ago, it was not like the current situation.”
Yang has found community in Ireland through ballet.
“I think I met most of my friends in Dublin doing professional ballet classes at Dance Ireland. I learned ballet from when I was a kid and I try to continue my passion here in Ireland. My friends are professional trainers for the ballet. They’re beautiful and lovely and I have loved becoming friends with them.”
Her mother, Lily, inspired this love of ballet as she used to be a ballet dancer.
When it comes to the future, she is very keen to try to stay in Ireland after finishing her PHD.
“I love this country and I feel like I write things better here than in China. Being here means that I can use Chinese as a special written language, more as a creative language. I think the literary environment here is really inspiring. I attend as many events or talks as I can at Trinity and at the Irish Writing Centre. Dublin welcomes so many reputable foreign writers here and there are a lot of meaningful and inspiring events that I really benefit from.”
However, she is unsure whether she will live in Ireland forever because of her parents.
“If one day I go back to China, I think my mother will be the main reason I come home. We are very close; we are more like friends than mother and daughter. I was born under the one-child policy in China, so I’m her only child.”
Yang Hao’s book Diablo’s Boys was translated by Nicky Harman and Michael Day and published by Balestier Press in Ireland.
We would like to hear from people who have moved to Ireland in the past 10 years. To get involved, email newtotheparish@irishtimes.com or X @newtotheparish
