‘Lyrical and delicate, Christina Ng’s translation of the poetry by Dan Ying captures the inner world of individual female sensibility.’
– Jennifer Wong, Poet and writer
The PTC is honoured to publish The Years in My Hair: 诗选 (1966-2017), the selected poems of Singaporean poet Dan Ying translated from Chinese by Christina Ng. Over the decades, Dan Ying has forged a literary oeuvre of subtle and profound works influenced by classical Chinese poetry and Buddhist and Taoist philosophies, expressing the poet’s inner world in simple, graceful language rich in emotion, metaphor and meaning; from the hem of a tight black skirt to a strand of white hair, Ying’s poetry captures the experiences of a whole lifetime.
Lew Poo Chan, better known by her pen name Dan Ying, is a celebrated poet whose graceful, deeply reflective work has earned significant literary acclaim in Singapore and beyond. Over the decades, Dan Ying has forged a literary oeuvre of subtle and profound works influenced by classical Chinese poetry and Buddhist and Taoist philosophies, expressing the poet’s inner world in a simple, graceful language that is rich in emotion, metaphor and meaning. Her many literary prizes include two National Book Development Council of Singapore Awards for poetry, the 1995 Southeast Asia Write Award and the 1996 Cultural Medallion (the highest honour for Singaporean writers).
This book offers a comprehensive view of this distinguished Singaporean poet’s literary oeuvre, spanning six eventful decades. Starting with Dan Ying’s early work that shows her great love for classical Chinese poetry, in particular that of the Tang and Song periods, as well as values informed by Buddhist and Taoist philosophies, the collection explores themes such as nature and simple living, poverty and modern-day womanhood, and the act of writing itself. Singapore summers, late autumn in America; lyrical meditations on the art of Taichi; adrift fireflies; a sorrowful Erhu player etc are some of the wistful encounters in this collection, vividly rendered into English by Christina Ng.
The Years in My Hair: 诗选 (1966-2017) was edited by Nashwa Nasreldin and is the first book to appear under the PTC’s new Plutonic Press imprint. Plutonic Press values multilingualism and publish poetry from around the world, with a particular focus on the heritage cultures and countries of origin of the UK’s diverse diaspora communities. To support the book launch, Christina Ng will be appearing at events in London and Norwich this October.
Dan Ying – Poet bio
Dan Ying is a celebrated Singaporean poet whose graceful, deeply reflective work has earned international acclaim and significant literary honours—most notably Singapore’s Cultural Medallion for Literature in 1996. Other awards include two National Book Development Council of Singapore’s Book Awards for poetry and the 1995 Southeast Asia Write Award. Her literary legacy continues to be recognized as she was spotlighted as Singapore’s Literary Pioneer at Singapore Writers Festival 2024, with a dedicated touring exhibition celebrating her poetic contributions, a live musical tribute, and discussions highlighting her influential work, which spans from the 1960s to the 1990s.
Christina Ng – Translator bio
Christina Ng is a Singaporean writer and translator based in Berlin. Her Chinese-to-English literary translations include Singaporean poet Dan Ying’s selected poetry (1967 to 1995) (forthcoming in Spring 2026 from Poetry Translation Centre), which won the PEN Translates Award 2025, and Singaporean poet/author Liang Wern Fook’s short story collection, The Joy of a Left Hand, which was shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize 2024 Translation Category. Her own writing explores identity, cultural and generational traumas. She teaches literary translation classes at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University as well as leads literary translation and creative writing workshops.
