Artist CV
Tong Yali (b. 1978, Taiwan) is a poet, translator, and artist whose work bridges literature, sound, and visual media. Living and working in Germany, she holds a Ph.D. in Film Studies from the Free University of Berlin, alongside degrees in Media Arts and German Literature. Her artistic practice explores the resonance of poetry across cultures, often merging text with sound installations, performances, and handmade thread‑bound bilingual books.
Tong has presented solo and group exhibitions in Taipei, Berlin, and internationally, including projects at the Taipei International Book Exhibition, Treasure Hill Artist Village, and Nanhai Gallery. She founded the FULLMOON Poetry‑Sound Magazine in Berlin, a bilingual platform combining poetry and sound to connect East and West, classic and contemporary. Her residencies span institutions such as the Literarisches Colloquium Berlin, Villa Decius in Kraków, and the Europäisches Übersetzer‑Kollegium in Straelen.
Recognized with awards including the Cross‑Strait Documentary Literature Prize and Taipei County Literature Prize, Tong has also received grants from the Goethe‑Institut, Robert Bosch Foundation, and Taiwan’s National Culture and Arts Foundation. Her poetry collections include Borderland’s Dawn (2010), Moonlight, Sleepless (2012), and Traumwandlungen (2019). Through her interdisciplinary practice, Tong Yali continues to preserve and transform the ephemeral voice of poetry into cultural memory.
Education
2011–2018 Institute for Theater Studies, Division of Film Studies, Free University of Berlin (Ph.D. Germany)
2008–2011 Institute for Media and Communication Studies, Free University of Berlin (Doctoral Candidate, Germany)
2001–2006 Graduate School of Applied Media Arts, National Taiwan University of Arts (MA, Taiwan)
1996–2000 Department of German Language and Literature, Fu Jen Catholic University (BA, Taiwan)
1998–1999 Department of German Studies and Arts. Philipps-Universität Marburg (Exchange Student, Germany)
Ongoing Project
2025 Sound of Poetry (Online, Installation, Video and Print)
Solo Exhibition
2012 FULLMOON Poetry Sound Magazine. Eirakuza Books. Taipei, Taiwan. (February 11, 2012 – March 11, 2012)
2012 FULLMOON Poetry-Sound Magazine / VOLLMOND Poesie-Klang Magazin. Poetry-Sound Installation and Print. 2011 Taipei International Book Exhibition (TiBE). Taipei, Taiwan. (February 1, 2012 – February 6, 2012)
2011–2012 FULLMOON Poetry Sound Magazine. Online magazine and exhibition. Berlin and Taipei. (September 12, 2011 – February 6, 2012)
2011 Borderland's Dawn: A Poetry-Sound Project. Taipei Artist Village – Treasure Hill Artist Village (THAV). Artist-in-Residence, Exhibition and Performances. Taipei, Taiwan (January 2011 – April 2011)
2011 Poetry sound, with music: Entering to the world of poetry, sound and music. Poetry-Sound Exhibition. Part of Borderland's Dawn: A Poetry-Sound Project. Sound-Cave of THAV. Taipei, Taiwan. (February 12, 2011 – March 12, 2011)
2011 Poetry sound, without music: Return to the origin of poetry and it’s Sound. Poetry-Reading-Installation. Part of
Borderland's Dawn: A Poetry-Sound Project. Fembooks Bookstore. Taipei, Taiwan. (February 12, 2011 – March 12, 2011)
2009 Reportage and Exhibition on the Berlin Street Newspapers (Reportage und Ausstellung über die Berliner
Straßenzeitungen). Taipei Stock, Small Small Bookstore. Taipei, Taiwan. (August 2009 – October 2009)
2008 The Eyes of the Others Nearby: Tong Yali + Peony Chrysanthemum, Image & Text Exhibition. Hutong Café, Taichung, Taiwan
(April 1, 2008 – June 30, 2008)
Group Exhibitions
2020 Poetry Reading Transnational. An Online Poetry Translation Project which was born during the translator-in-
residence in Europäisches Übersetzer-Kollegium (EÜK) in 2019. Part of the project "Abolish Borders With Words" initiated
by Alexandros Kypriotis, a Greek poet and translator. (Online Release Date: November 27, 2020)
2019 My Love is a Silent Song: Make a Unique Book of Selected Poems. Interactive Exhibition. Venue Gallery. Taipei, Taiwan (
August 28, 2019 – September 30, 2019)
2012 Far away, dream my land: Sound of Chinese-German Poetry (six poems). Poetry-Sound Installation. Das Gehäuse der
Poesie. Nanhai Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan (November 16, 2012 – November 25, 2012)
2012 FULLMOON Poetry Sound Magazine. Poetry-Sound Installation. Exhibition “Project Completely Sincere”. Arts Studio 57.
Tainan, Taiwan (February 25, 2012 – March 18, 2012)
2011 Borderline, Sound of Poetry. 2011 Very Fun Park. Continuing Exhibition at Cheng Chi University. Poetry-Sound Installation.
Taipei, Taiwan (October 12, 2011 – November 18, 2011)
2011 Borderline, Sound of Poetry. Poetry-Sound Installation. 2011 Very Fun Park: Comtemporary Art Exhibition in Taipei's East
District. Eslite Bookstore Xinyi Branch. Taipei, Taiwan. (July 23, 2011 – September 30, 2011)
Residencies
2025 Internationales Treffen der Übersetzer·innen deutschsprachiger Literatur. Literarisches Colloquium Berlin (LCB).
2023 Internationales Theaterinstitut (ITI) / Zentrum Bundesrepublik Deutschland. 24. Internationalen Werkstatt "Theater
übersetzen" im Rahmen der 48. Mülheimer Theatertage. Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany.
2019 Europäisches Übersetzer-Kollegium (EÜK), Straelen, Germany. TOLEDO Translator-in-Residence Programme. Deutscher
Übersetzerfonds & Robert Bosch Foundation.
2017 Villa Decius, Kraków, Polen. Translator in residence.
2017 Literarisches Kolloquium Berlin (LCB) Berlin, Germany. Translator-in-Residence.
2015 ViceVersa: Deutsch-Chinesische Übersetzerwerkstatt im Literarischen Colloquium Berlin (LCB), 6. – 12. Juli 2015.
Deutscher Übersetzerfonds.
2011 Borderland's Dawn: A Poetry-Sound Project. Taipei Artist Village – Treasure Hill Artist Village (THAV). Artist-in-Residence,
Exhibition and Performance. Taipei, Taiwan (January 2011 – April 2011)
Awards
2011 The 1th Cross-Strait Documentary Literature Prize (First Prize), Taiwan
2007 Taipei County Literature Prize (Short Story)
2007 Taidong University Children Literature Prize (Play)
2005 Taipei County Literature Prize (Essay)
Grants
2024–2025 Radial-Stipendium des Deutschen Übersetzerfonds (DÜF, Germany). Project: The Mass Ornament (Das Ornament der
Masse) by Siegfried Kracauer
2018–2020 National Culture and Arts Foundation (NCAF, Taiwan). Writing Grant. Project: The Trio. A Novel.
2019 Deutscher Übersetzerfonds & Robert Bosch Foundation (DÜF, Germany). TOLEDO Translator-in-Residence Program.
Europäisches Übersetzer-Kollegium (EÜK), Straelen, Germany. Project: Karl Marx, die Liebe und das Kapital by Klaus
Gietinger
2018 Translation Funding. Goethe-Institut (Germany). Project: Divided Heaven (Der geteilte Himmel) by Christa Wolf
2017 Robert Bosch Foundation (Germany). Translator-in-Residence. Literarisches Kolloquium Berlin (LCB), Berlin, Germany and
Villa Decius, Kraków, Polen. Project: Divided Heaven (Der geteilte Himmel) by Christa Wolf
2016–2017 Translation Funding. Goethe-Institut (Germany). Project: I wore a yellow star (Ich trug den gelben Stern) by Inge
Deutschkron
2014–2016 Translation Funding. Goethe-Institut (Germany). Project: Short Stories of Franz Kafka (Drucke zu Lebzeiten von Franz
Kafka) (5 Volumes)
2010 National Culture and Arts Foundation (NCAF, Taiwan). Publication Grant. Project: Publication of the poetry collection Borderland’s Dawn.
2010 Contemporary Art Foundation (CAF, Taiwan). Sponsorship Program for Training of Professional Visual Arts Managers.
Project: The Chinese Film Collection of German Producer Manfred Durniok (1934-2003) at Filmmuseum Berlin – Deutsche
Kinemathek (Part 2). Berlin, Germany
2009 Contemporary Art Foundation (CAF, Taiwan). Sponsorship Program for Training of Professional Visual Arts Managers.
Project: The Chinese Film Collection of German Producer Manfred Durniok (1934-2003) at Filmmuseum Berlin – Deutsche
Kinemathek (Part 1). Berlin, Germany
2008–2009 National Culture and Arts Foundation (NCAF, Taiwan). Research Grant. Project: Berlin Street Newspapers, Borderland of the
City: An Interview Project.
Bibliography
2026 Das Innere meines Berlins. Prosatexte mit 22 Fotografien. (Literarische Essays). Taipei. Akker Publishing. (Release Date: May
2026)
2025 Aspiration: Letters from the Borderlands. A Correspondence. Correspondence. Taipei: Homeward Publishing.
2019 Traumwandlungen. Poetry Collection. Taipei: Chi Ming Publishing.
2011–2012 FULLMOON Poetry-Sound Magazinne (VOLLMOND Poesie-Klang Magazin). Founder, Translator, Voice. Handmade Thread-
bound Book. Billingual: English, Chinese. Two Editions. Berlin: Self-Publishing.
2012 Moonlight, Sleepless (Mondschein, Schlafloser). Poetry Collection. Taipei: Homeward Publishing.
2010 Borderland's Dawn (Grenzlandsdämmerung). Poetry Collection. Taipei: fembooks.
Press (selected)
2019 Rother, Carina. "Traumwandlungen": Tong Yali spricht über ihren Gedichtband. Radio Taiwan International – Deutsch. March
19, 2019. Link. (Radio Interview, German)
2018 Rother, Carina. VRwandlung: Kafka im MoCA Taipei. RTI Deutsch - Radio Taiwan International. Interview on the Exhibition
Opening and Lecture at Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei. December 4, 2018. Link. (Reportage and Interview, German)
2012 Ho, Yi. Poetry: A Poetic Awakening. Taipei: Taipei Times. February 10, 2012, p. 14. Link. Scan. (Newspaper Interview, English)
2011 "The Most Significant Events in the Taiwanese Literary Scene in 2011." In: Liberty Times, December 27, 2011, p. D9. Taipei, Taiwan. ("September 1, 2011: The FULLMOON Poetry-Sound Magazine was founded online and presents the diverse forms of
expression of poetry and music."). Link. Scan. (Review, traditional Chinese)
2011 Taiwan Revealed. London: Wallpaper Magazine. Vol. 136. June 9, 2011, p.15. Link. Scan. (Reportage and Interview, English)
