To promote academic exchanges of Classical Learning and Sinology within HKBU, the Academy will continue to organize the Sinology Fortnightly series. Every two to three weeks, a scholar, from or outside the university, that specializes in Sinology or Chinese studies, will be invited to host an interactive session with the audience and share his or her research insights and findings in a casual ambience. The series is now conducted online. All are welcome to register for it and join us.
No registration is required for this lecture series. All are welcome to attend each lecture with the following Zoom meeting details:
https://hkbu.zoom.us/j/99020623261?pwd=L1JnVTkzWm43R2k3TVYxYkFRRVdWQT09
Meeting ID: 990 2062 3261
Password：329559
HKBU students: For CCL attendance, please (1) log in Zoom using HKBU email account, with your name as “STUDENT ID NO. + NAME”, and (2) complete and submit the Co‐curricular Learning Evaluation Form after the activity in 3 working days.
Note: A CCL-recognised event must be at least 1.5 hours long. Please observe the requirements if students wish to update the attendance record.
Below are details of the seminars in 2024 Spring:
Session 1: A New Interpretation of the Eulogium “Stout” (Mao #297 “Jiōng” 駉), with the Equine Knowledge regarding Color Breeds and Selection Criteria for Quadriga-Driving Horses in the Zhou Dynasty, and the Commonalities among the Eulogia in the Classic of Odes Explicated
2024/03/19 | 14:00–15:30 | Putonghua
Speaker: Dr CHAN Chok Meng, Travis (Dissertation Year Fellowship Awardee, School of Chinese, Faculty of Arts, The University of Hong Kong)
Moderator: Dr SHEN Sicong (Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology, Hong Kong Baptist University)
Abstract: As the first piece of poetry in the subsection “Eulogia of Lu” (Lǔ sòng 魯頌) of the Classic of Odes (Shījīng 詩經) or simply Odes, the “Stout” (Mao #297“Jiōng” 駉) is written in a straightforward, descriptive fashion, traditionally referred to as fù 賦 (expository mode). The eulogium (sòng 頌) is comprised of four octaves with a rhyme scheme of aaabbbbb (except for the last stanza, which is monorhymed), and all four stanzas share the same structure with limited variation in the last five lines. This piece is well-known for two reasons: first, its enumeration of over a dozen of horse breeds, “color breeds” to be specific; and second, its penultimate line “Not leading you astray” (sī wú xié 思無邪) was famously quoted by Confucius to capture the import of the entire collection, the so-called “Three Hundred Odes.”
The “Stout” may have a simple stanzaic structure, but its purport is elusive nevertheless, slipping away from most of its readers, past and present. Previous scholars often fail to grasp its essence, mostly due to their overreliance on the “Prefaces to the Odes” (Shī xù 詩序), included in the Mao recension and commentary of the Odes (Máo Shī gùxùn zhuán 毛詩故訓傳), by buying into the fabricated account of Duke Xi of Lu’s 魯僖公 (r. BCE 659–627 BCE) raising horses in the “wilderness of the hinterland,” an oxymoron if one adopts the definitions given by Master Mao. Many scholars also follow the Mao commentary to the teeth and uncritically accept the idea of the stallions depicted in the four stanzas as corresponding to the so-called four ranks of horses in the six stables of a vassal lord, namely the fine steed, warhorse, hunting horse, and inferior horse—the last of which should have no place in the eulogium. The inability to place the text in the right historical and cultural context and, more importantly, to realize the significance of quadriga in reading this ode has led to gross misinterpretations of the purport.
This presentation will explain the “Stout” line by line and the textual issues surrounding it, such as the divergent textual variants, their philological meanings, and the reasons behind the discrepancy. In addition to textual studies, I will propose a new theory on the exact location of the state-owned pastures of Lu, discuss the selection criteria of horses that were harnessed to a quadriga, and shed new light on the line “sī wú xié” from the perspective of auspicious statement. These are topics related to the eulogium that have rarely been deliberated or properly addressed in current scholarship. I argue that cultural knowledge of the quadriga in the Zhou dynasty holds the key to decipher the text and the message behind.
The sixteen color breeds enumerated in the eulogium reveal an in-depth understanding of domestic horses (Equus ferus caballus) during the Zhou. Based on the philological explanations offered in the Mao commentary, I will try to explicate the equine terms with the help of modern terminology used in the English-speaking world, assess the level of equine knowledge among the Zhou people, and provide more accurate renditions in English. At the end, I will refute the established view regarding the purport of “Stout” as put forward by the “Prefaces to the Odes” and offer my new reading before closing with some remarks on why this ode was categorized as a eulogium despite its stylistic affinity to the airs (fēng 風) and the canons (yǎ 雅).
Session 2: Reshaping Chosŏn: The Writing of Mingshi - Chosŏn Biography and the Negotiation with Chosŏn Interpreters
2024/03/26 | 14:30–16:00 | English
Speaker: Dr LAW Lok Yin (Assistant Professor, School of Arts and Social Sciences, Hong Kong Metropolitan University)
Moderator: Dr SHEN Sicong (Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology, Hong Kong Baptist University)
Abstract: Due to concerns among Chosŏn's Kings and officials regarding the accuracy of the late Ming period narrative in the Qing compiled Mingshi (明史 Ming History) during the late 17th century and early 18th century, the court initiated multiple envoy groups deliberately aimed at negotiating with Qing officials. The primary objective was to legitimize Chosŏn's recognized narrative, specifically the records of "Injo panjŏng" (仁祖反正 Injo Restoration) within the Chaoxian Liezhuan (朝鮮列傳 Biography of Chosŏn). Both Chosŏn’s official records and Yŏnhaengrok (燕行錄 Records of an Embassy to Beijing) underscore the pivotal role played by interpreters as crucial intermediaries in bargaining with Qing officials. This research aims to trace the actions of Kim Si-yu (金是瑜, 1673-1737) and other Chosŏn official interpreters during their Beijing missions, examining how they navigated negotiations and contended with Qing officials to uphold Chosŏn's historical narrative in Mingshi. The findings of this research contribute to the argument that Chosŏn official interpreters played a dominant role in legitimating Chosŏn's historical narratives within Qing China's official historical writings.
Session 3: Sorting and Visualizing on Tang Poetry in the Edo Period
2024/05/07 | 10:30–12:00 | Putonghua
Speaker: Dr HUI Kin Yip（Assistant Professor, Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Hong Kong Shue Yan University）
Moderator: Dr Dong Xianliang (Senior Research Assistant, Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology, Hong Kong Baptist University)
Abstract: During the Edo period in Japan, both the elite and the secular had a strong pursuit of appreciating, studying, imitating Tang poetry. At that time, a large number of related Chinese printed works were imported, providing abundant resources for the scholars to dedicated to sorting and compilating knowledge of Tang poetry. Meanwhile, the boost of the publishing industry greatly accelerated the circulation of Tang poetry, especially the innovated visual media. This lecture will introduce the diverse world of Tang poetry reading in the Edo period, including discussions on the Shihua, anthologies, corpus, illustrated books, and even playing cards (karuta), etc..
Venue: Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology (Level 7, Shaw Tower, Shaw Campus, Hong Kong Baptist University)/ZOOM
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