Leung, Kai C
Date Updated
5-29-2010
Department
Foreign Languages
Academic Rank
Professor
Year Retired from SJSU
2001 (+ FERP)
Educational Background
University of Hong Kong, 1959, BA, Honors
University of Hong Kong, 1960, Dip. In Education
University of Hong Kong, 1963, MA
University of Leeds, United Kingdom, 1966, Dip. In English (Linguistics)
University of California, Berkeley, 1974, Ph.D.
Teaching Experience
Queen Elizabeth School, Hong Kong, 1960-1961
Grantham College of Education, Hong Kong, 1964-1969
Berkeley High School, 1971-1972
San José State University, 1972-2005
De Anza College, 1974-present
Visiting Professor at Stanford University, 1997
Administrative and Professional Experience
Head of the English Section, Grantham College of Education, Hong Kong
Coordinator of the Chinese Program, Dept of Foreign Languages, SJSU
President, Chinese Language Teachers Association of California (1978-80; 1989-94)
Chinese Specialist, Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation (1990s)
Poetry Reading at San José Poetry Center (1987)
Radio Broadcasting (Radio Hong Kong 1969; Radio KQED 1997)
Assessor (Chinese Literature), Canadian Research Council for Social Sciences and Humanities (1988; 1989)
Project Evaluator, California Council for the Humanities (1986)
External Examiner for the M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees in Chinese Literature, University of Hong Kong. (1997; 1999)
NEH Visiting Scholar, Stanford University (Summer 1980)
Consultant to various school districts, including San Francisco Unified.
Member, Executive Board, (National) Cantonese Language Assoc. (1997-1981)
Member, Executive Council, Foreign Language Assoc. of N Calif (1979-1981)
Presenter of numerous academic papers at professional conferences at the local, regional, national and international levels.
Interpreter for the Superior Court, Santa Clara County (1980s-present)
Selected Publications
Book: Hsu Wei as Drama Critic (University of Oregon, 1988)
Articles:
"Visions of Cathay: China in English Literature of the Romantic Period." Tsing Hua Journal of Chinese Studies (Dec 1979)
"Balance and Symmetry in the Huan sha chi." Tsing Hua Journal of Chinese Studies (Dec 1984)
"Through a Glass Dimly: J. F. Davis and P. P. Thoms as Translators of Chinese Verse." Selected Papers on Translation, ed S. K. Wong. Univ of Hong Kong, 2002.
"Linguistic Foregrounding in a Chinese Tz'u Poem." Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association, Oct 1983)
"P'i-p'a chi" (Lute Song). "Nanihsi" (Southern Drama). In Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature, ed. William H. Nienhauser et al. Indiana University Press, 1986.
"Of Animals and Men: Qingzhong pu, King Lear, and The Duchess of Malfi,' Cowrie, I, No. 5 (1988)
"Ciano, the Young Marshal, and China through the eyes of Mussolini's Daughter." Biographical Literature, No. 475 (Dec 2001)
"Chinese Courtship: The Huajian ji in English Translation." CHINOPERL Papers, No. 20-22 (1997-1999).
"The Dramatic Quality of Three Yueh-fu Poems." Chinese Culture, XIV (1973)
"A Note on 'The North Wind and the Sun' in Cantonese." Le Maitre Phonetique, No. 133 (1970). In IPA transcription.
"Chiu feng-ch'en: Anatomy of a 13th Century Chinese Comedy." Chinese Culture (Dec 1983)
"Literature in the Service of Politics: The Chinese Literary Scene Since 1949." World Literature Today (Winter 1981)
Translations:
Translations of English and Chinese poetry have appeared in Contemporary Literature in Translation (No. 16, 1973)
The Other Voice, ed J. Bankier et al. New York: Norton 1976
A Brotherhood in Song, ed Stephen C. Soong. Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press, 1985.
Ming Pao Monthly (No. 46, 1983)
Chung-wai Literary Monthly (XII, No. 9, 1984)
Reviews:
Numerous reviews in Books Abroad; Journal of Asian Studies; Literature East and West; Journal of Oriental Studies; Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews; World Literature Today; Newsletter (International Association of Chinese Linguistics).
Files
Personal Commentary
I used to teach Chinese language (Mandarin and Cantonese), literature and culture at San José State University in the morning, interpret for the Santa Clara County Superior Court (traversing two cultures) in the afternoon, and teach ESL at De Anza College in the evening. I am still teaching at De Anza and interpreting for the courts.
Having lived through World War II (often as a refugee) during the impressionistic years of childhood, I have retained an interest in the history of this period.
My hobbies are travel, photography, and translating poetry. My research interests are East-West literary relations, Ming drama, and language teaching.