Upcoming Events
Online Sinology Fortnightly (2025 Spring)
To celebrate the essence of traditional culture and deepen academic dialogue on campus, the Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology has introduced the “Sinology Fortnightly” series. This academic event invites emerging scholars of Chinese and Sinological studies worldwide to collaboratively explore classic texts and share scholarly insights, thereby igniting intellectual creativity and expanding perspectives. At present, the “Sinology Fortnightly” series is primarily conducted online and warmly welcomes enthusiastic participation from peers eager to explore these profound topics.
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/93220703702?pwd=mMwfx5BbRShmwzgVvKedy5RKbSEXdp.1
Webiner ID: 932 2070 3702
Password：082684
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 hour long. Please observe the requirements if students wish to update the attendance record.
Below are details of the seminars in 2025 Spring:
Session 1
2025/3/24 | 10:30–12:00 | Conducted in Putonghua
New and Old Fashions: Wu Youru’s Paintings of Women
CHEN Fong Fong
Assistant Professor, Department of History, Academy of Chinese, History, Religion, and Philosophy, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Hong Kong Baptist University
Abstract: The late Qing dynasty artist Wu Youru (d. 1894) gained posthumous recognition, particularly for his illustrations of current events featured in the Dianshizhai Pictorial. His portrayals of female figures, often associated with Shanghai courtesans, have also garnered significant attention. This lecture begins by examining Lu Xun’s biased perspective on these depictions to reassess Wu Youru’s reception within art history and to explore the print culture surrounding women during the late Qing and Republican periods. By focusing on Wu’s representation of fashionable women and the dissemination of his works during the Republican era, the lecture investigates his contributions to the genre of female figure painting.
Session 2
2025/4/10 | 10:00–11:00 | Conducted in English
Western Paradise Remade: Framing Peacocks and Territorial Aesthetics in Qing Imperial Gardens
WANG Lianming
Associate Professor, Department of Chinese and History, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, City University of Hong Kong
Abstract: This paper departs from a critical analysis of the Peacock Cages, built c. 1756, to argue that the Qianlong Emperor’s two phases of the European Palaces were conceived as conceptually separate projects. It posits that this avian enclosure served as an entrance at the western end of the second European garden compound. It explores the gateway function of the Peacock Cages, the significance of peacocks in Buddhist symbolism, and the hidden imagery within the Calm Sea Palace and its adjacent structures and scenic views. Together, these elements support the argument that the spatial arrangement of the second European compound adhered to Pure Land (also known as “Western Paradise”) iconography, particularly as rendered in eighteenth-century Qing Buddhist paintings. Furthermore, the paper argues that several other Qing imperial garden sites were conceived as parallel projects, wherein peacock imagery was reframed within Confucian utopias or fantastical realms. The concurrent expansion of garden projects and the presence of Hami peacocks reflect the Qing’s successful annexation of the Dzungar territory, highlighting the territorial connections of the peacocks to this area. Within this all-encompassing compound, the conceptions of Europe (Western Ocean), the (Buddhist) Western Paradise, and China’s historical ‘Western Regions’ (xiyu) intertwined to convey a broader vision of the territories beyond the empire as perceived by the emperor.
Lecture Review :
HKBUtube: https://hkbutube.lib.hkbu.edu.hk/inner.php?id=BTS-101235
Session 3
2025/4/14| 15:30–17:00 | Conducted in English
Oblation or Divine Seat: Emperor Qianlong’s Remodeling of the Jeweled Gold Mandala Tributed by the Sixth Panchen
ZHAO Yi (Joey)
Assistant Professor, Department of Chinese History and Culture, Faculty of Humanities, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Abstract: In the collection of the Palace Museum Beijing, there is a Jeweled Gold Mandala that was presented to Emperor Qianlong by the Sixth Panchen Lama on the occasion of the emperor’s seventieth birthday at the Rehe Palace. This mandala features a silver statue of Green Tara, mounted by a carved wooden mountain. The author suggests that the mandala and the Green Tara statue were initially separate objects, with the statue dating back to the 15th century as part of the Panchen Lama's collection, contrary to the belief that it was made during the Qing Dynasty. Following discussions with the imperial teacher, Changkya Rinpoche, Emperor Qianlong altered the mandala by incorporating wooden carvings of the mountain and commissioning artists from the Ruyiguan workshop to illustrate the sacred setting of the Pure Land of Turquoise Leaves with a traditional Chinese blue-and-green style.
This conversion turns the mandala from a cosmic model designed for the offering to deities and masters to a permanent abode for the deity, serving as a portable shrine commonly known as a Gahu. As such, the process of opening and closing the mandala can be interpreted as a ceremonial enactment of the Green Tara’s four mandala offerings, overseen by the Panchen Lama himself.
Session 4
2025/4/25 | 16:00–17:00 | Conducted in Putonghua
The Origins of Metallurgy and Metalworking in Early China: Regional Innovation, Cultural Interactions, and Technological Diffusion in a Multidimensional Perspective
PENG Peng
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Arts, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Abstract: This report focuses on the long-standing academic debate regarding the origins of metallurgy and metalworking in early China, specifically the dichotomy between "independent invention" and "technological diffusion." It argues that the origins of these technologies cannot be adequately explained by a single theoretical model. In contrast to conventional scholarly interpretations, the interactions among the traditionally defined Central Plains of China, the "Crescent-Shaped Cultural Communication Belt" proposed by Tong Enzheng, and Inner Asia reveal a far more intricate network of historical dynamics and technological exchange. Through a detailed examination of the exchange of metal production technologies as well as cultural and artistic interactions across these regions, this study critiques simplistic models of unilinear evolution and monocentric diffusion. It emphasizes the critical roles played by regional technological innovations and cross-cultural interactions in the development of metal production technologies. This perspective not only reconsiders the complex connections between the Central Plains and surrounding regions but also highlights the featured significance of early China's metal production traditions within the context of global history. Employing a multidisciplinary approach, integrating extensive archaeological evidence with rigorous theoretical analysis, this research illuminates the multidimensional historical trajectories of metal production technologies as shaped by regional and temporal intersections. By deepening our understanding of the intricate relationship between technological diffusion and cultural innovation, this report aims to offer fresh perspectives to the academic field and advance further exploration of the origins of metallurgy and metalworking in China and their global significance.
Session 5
2025/5/8 | 16:00–17:00 | Conducted in English
Visual Representation and Historical Progression of Transplanted Plants in China before Greenhouse Farming in Early Modern Europe
Eszter Maria Csillag
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Hong Kong Baptist University Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology
Abstract: The Jesuit missionary of Polish origins, Michael Boym (1612–1659) wrote several books on Chinese natural history from botany to zoology, geography and medicine. His major work is Flora Sinensis (Vienna, 1656), one of the first European natural history books about China and its region. In the introduction Boym presents China as a fertile land where trees and plants always blossom. The book reflects Boym’s interest in Chinese soil, cultivation techniques, available fruits and spices. Beside this, it also functions as a visual representation of plants and spices that are cultivated in tropical climates in the southern territories of China.
In this lecture I shall present how zones with tropical climates functioned as pseudo greenhouses where without any intervention these fruits could be cultivated. Therefore, there is a need to shift our critical gaze in looking into books on early modern botany based on whether they showcase native plants only to rather see each of them for what they recount. In Boym’s case, it is possible to sense a complex reality where availability overwrote science, or better: they merged.
Session 6
2025/5/22 | 15:30–17:00 | Conducted in English
Reshaping a Capital City: Mapping and Displacing Pleasure Quarters in Ming and Early Qing Gazetteers of Nanjing
WANG Yizhou
Research Assistant Professor, Academy of Visual Arts, School of Creative Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University
Abstract: Pleasure quarters and courtesans in the city of Nanjing, the Southern Capital of Ming dynasty, were significant subjects for male literati to express nostalgia for the past dynasty during the Ming-Qing dynastic shift. While scholars have paid attention to the Ming-Qing paintings depicting Nanjing views and courtesan culture, this study scrutinizes the printed images from the Ming and early Qing local gazetteers of Nanjing, especially the maps and illustrations of scenic views emphasizing or indicating the pleasure quarters from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century. It elucidates how the gazetteer images fostered to reshape the imagination and collective memory about the new or former capital city Nanjing at two essential moments: early Ming Hongwu period and the Ming-Qing transition. The author discusses how the early Ming Louguan tu from the empire-wide level gazetteer Hongwu Atlas stressed the entertainment buildings in Nanjing and attempted to create a powerful and prosperous imagery of the new Ming dynasty in terms of urban economy and diplomatic exchanges. She also argues that the early Qing illustrations of The Gazetteer of Jiangning Prefecture displaced the renowned Nanjing pleasure quarter, which aimed to diminish its connection to the landscape of and memory about the Ming capital that was established from the beginning of the Ming dynasty.
Session 7
2025/6 | Conducted in Putonghua
Built Spaces Made Ambiguous: Crafting a New Urban Narrative in Early China
SHEN Dewei
Assistant Professor, Department of Chinese and History, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, City University of Hong Kong
Abstract: Decades of excavations at early city sites in China have uncovered a wealth of material evidence, far exceeding the explanatory power of interpretive frameworks derived from traditional textual sources and historical narratives. This raises a critical question: How can we make sense of such a vast collection of fragmented evidence and develop a more comprehensive understanding of these long-lost cities? This talk examines the walled site of Jinancheng—located in present-day Jingzhou, Hubei—which served as the capital of the Chu state from the fourth to early third century BCE. Drawing on more than half a century of archaeological discoveries, it points out that beyond (or beneath) the familiar grand narratives centered on kingship, military affairs, stratagems, economy, infrastructure, and institutions, early cities—not unlike modern ones in some respects—contained a more ambiguous dimension. This dimension pertains to the quotidian use and daily functioning of cities, marked not only by complexity but also by contingency, uncertainty, and even experimentation. Although this dimension has long been overlooked, bringing it back into focus enables a critical reassessment of linear and teleological approaches to studying and writing about urbanism in early China.
Session 8
2025/6/16 | 16:00–17:00| Conducted in Putonghua
Imperial Authority and Zen Practice: The Dual Ontological Integration in Emperor Shizong’s Śūnyatā Practice
GUO Qianmeng
Research Associate, Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology, Hong Kong Baptist University
Abstract: Emperor Shizong of the Qing Dynasty (1678–1735) had a deep affinity for Buddhist scriptures from an early age and maintained extensive connections with the monastic community, adopting the self-styled title Yuanming Jushi. In 51st year of Kangxi reign (1712), under the guidance of the second Changkya Khutukhtu (1642–1715), Shizong undertook a retreat and successfully penetrated the “three barriers” of Zan Buddhism. This experience laid the foundation for his realization of Śūnyatā philosophy. The lecture will construct a dialogical framework between Western philosophical ontology and the Buddhist concept of Śūnyatā to explore the existential structure of Shizong’s dual identity as both an emperor and a Zen practitioner. As an emperor, his imperial ontology was passively constructed within the framework of political will and ritual norms. However, his meditative practice served as a means of transcending these predetermined ontological constraints. At the same time, by examining Yuanming Jushi Yulu, we will trace Shizong’s progressive breakthroughs—breaking through the benchan, heavy barrier, and firm barrier—ultimately attain final nirvāṇa. This analysis will reveal how he dismantled the conventional dualism of “existence” and “non-existence,” finally achieved culminating in the synthesis of “imperial authority and Chan realization” within the dual ontological paradigm.