International Communication Studies in Literature and Art

ICSLA, Vol. 1, No. 2, 2025, pp.271-283.

Print ISSN: 3079-2711; Online ISSN: 3104-5081

Journal homepage: https://www.icslajournal.com

DOI: Https://doi.org/10.64058/ICSLA.25.2.10

Navigation Routes, Mesology, and Lyricism: A Review of Gao Jiaqian's Maritime Poetry Road: East Asian Routes and Nanyang Mesology

Huang Jiajun

Abstract: Traditional Chinese literary studies have been anchored in terrestrial perspectives, with maritime dimensions often relegated to the periphery. Gao Jiaqian's Maritime Poetry Road: East Asian Routes and Nanyang Mesology employs East Asian shipping lanes and the South China Sea as analytical frameworks, examining transnational poetry and prose by envoys, maritime merchants, and other groups from the Song-Yuan dynasties through the modern era, thereby revealing the dual literary and epistemological attributes of “maritime poetry routes”. This work can be understood through three key concepts: first, the “Navigation Routes” perspective transcends land-centered approaches, tracing the evolution of maritime routes across different periods and their corresponding literary transformations. Second, it examines Nanyang’s natural characteristics and cultural history through the lens of “Mesology”, echoing the New Southern writing movement. Third, “Lyricism” presents the subjective imagination of the Chinese diaspora's transformation from “sojourner melancholy” as temporary migrants to “settled” identity as permanent residents. This work responds to the current flourishing of “New Southern Writing”, providing fresh perspectives for understanding its “cosmopolitan” dimensions.

Keywords: Maritime Poetry Road: East Asian Routes and Nanyang Mesology; shipping lanes; Nanyang mesology; diaspora lyricism; New Southern Writing

Author Biography: Huang Jiajun, Teaching Assistant , Department of Chinese Language and Literature Guangdong Baiyun University, Research Interests: Overseas Chinese-Language Literature Studies, Literary-Ethical Criticism. Email: wxhjj2025@qq.com.

标题：航道、风土与抒情： 评高嘉谦《海国诗路——东亚航道与南洋风土》

摘要：传统中国文学研究以陆地为锚点，海洋常处边缘。高嘉谦《海国诗路》以东亚航道与南海为视域，探讨宋元至近现代使臣、海商等群体的跨境诗文，揭示 “海上诗路”的文学与知识双重属性。该著作从三个关键词出发去理解：一是以“航道”视角突破陆地中心，梳理各时期航道演变及文学转型；二是以“风土学”观照南洋的自然特质与文化历史，呼应新南方写作；凭“抒情”呈现离散华人从“客愁”侨民到“定居”邦民的主体性想象。该著作回应了当下如火如荼的“新南方写作”，为理解其“世界性”提供新视角。

关键词：《海国诗路》；航道；南洋风土；离散抒情；新南方写作

作者简介：黄家骏，广东白云学院中文系助教，研究方向：海外华文文学与文学伦理学批评。电邮：wxhjj2025@qq.com。

Received: 16 Sep 2025 / Revised: 7 Oct 2025 / Accepted: 06 Nov 2025 / Published online: 30 Nov 2025 / Print published: 30 Dec 2025.