FACULTY OF ASIAN Chinese Studies AND MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES, CAMBRIDGE Newsletter

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2 JULY 2020

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Welcome 2

Seminar Series 3 Lent and Easter — 2020 5

Interview: Dr 6 Loewe — Feature: Reduc- 8 ing the Distance

Student Updates 8 Feature: — Language in 13 Lockdown Interview: 14 Feng Jing — 15

Thomas Wade 16 Society Updates

Lectures, 16 Conferences, — and Workshops 17

Staff Updates 18 — 19

Notices and 20 Illustration by Juliette Odolant, Undergraduate class of 2019 Advertisements Inspired by a photograph she took on a recent trip to Paris’ Musée Guimet of her friend wearing a mask in front of the “Peintures de fer: paysages de montagne,” this piece rep- resents what an appreciation of Chinese culture may look like for the foreseeable future. PAGE 2 Welcome Letter

Dear friends, Welcome to our second newsletter! You will not be surprised to learn that the last few months have been dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic. I am glad to be able to report that colleagues and students have adjusted to working online effectively, rapid- ly, and graciously. At the beginning of the outbreak, we moved our Year Abroad stu- dents from to Taipei. The University decided to make examinations for first and second year students ‘formative,’ meaning that students were free to take them or not, that no one could fail, and that they will Third Years in Shanghai not appear on transcripts. Most students did take them and their unofficial nature than before: living online brings new opportu- meant that we could give detailed informal nities. The pandemic has had serious, but still feedback. We think this an improvement. unclear, consequences for postgraduate stu- Final Year students did have ‘official’ online dents requiring access to libraries and archives examinations and our graduands will be and/or needing to conduct field research. invited back to Cambridge for a formal Some are in the process of redesigning their graduation ceremony when the situation projects. allows for this. The summer term has now begun. That allows What have we learned after learning and us to return to our own research projects, teaching online for one term? Our language but we are also preparing for the return of teachers found teaching online language students to Cambridge next October, includ- classes exhausting, but workable, and prob- ing by consulting each other about the best ably preferable to in-person classes where ways of delivering classes online. everybody has to keep two metres apart Finally, some good news. I trust you will be as and must wear face masks. We cancelled delighted as all of us at the promotion of Dr the Research Seminar, but Dr Galam- Adam Chau to Reader. bos’s Dunhuang Seminar restarted after a - Hans van de Ven brief pause. It now has a larger audience A Message to the Fourth Years

With arguably one of the most disrupted that the students still found a moment to final years students have ever experienced, celebrate their success and that they will we want to congratulate the class of 2016 be reunited soon with their classmates and on completing their degrees. As formal professors to commemorate their impres- graduation ceremonies are postponed and sive achievements. May Week has been cancelled, we hope

CAMBRIDGE CHINESE ST UDIES NEWSLETTER VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2 PAGE 3 China Research Seminar Series

Beginning with Prof. Romain the many lives of a Buddhist Chinese Civil Graziani’s fascinating discus- monastery in the wake of War with a sion of crime and punish- the Taiping War, providing talk on China’s ment in pre-modern China, a window into the some- ‘Hog Bristle the Lent Term’s China Re- times competing, some- King,’ and his search Seminar series pro- times complimentary inter- surprising post vided students and Faculty ests of national and spiritual -1949 bureau- with a wide survey of some rejuvenation. Meanwhile, cratic rebirth. of the latest research being our resident Ming historian, Finally, Prof. done in the field of Chinese Dr Noga Ganany, continued Barbara Mit- studies. the religious theme with her tler concluded Stills from Gigi Scaria’s This was followed by a talk talk on material manifesta- the research seminar with a by Dr Sun Jicheng on trans- tions of the Zhenwu Cult in socially-distanced discussion video installation No lating the verse of Republican otherworldly guidebooks to of both the production, and Parallel (2010), discussed -era poet and Cambridge Mount Huashan published later artistic repurposing of by Prof. Barbara Mittler alumnus Shao Xunmei — a by commercial presses in archival photographs of friend of the more well- the 15th century. Mao, raising compelling par- known poet Xu Zhimo, Dr Judd Kinzley brought the allels with the return of whose memorial garden has conversation back to the political hagiography under graced the grounds of King’s 20th century with an explo- Xi Jinping. College since 2018. ration of the logistical di- - Nick Stember Dr Gregory Scott discussed mensions of WWII and the PhD student & DEAS Grad

Dunhuang and Silk Road Seminar Series As expected with a remit sented the result of such talks—Dr Lilla Russell-Smith as broad as ‘Dunhuang and skilled craftsmanship, lead- (Asian Art Museum, Berlin) Silk Road’ studies, Lent ing us through the stunning re-examined the well-known term’s seminar series murals of Afrasyab and ‘Sogdian Deities’ sketch, boasted speakers from all analysing the rich symbol- while our own graduate disciplines and regional ism therein to touch on student Feng Jing discussed, specialities. Sogdian and Chinese cus- with brilliant demonstra- Dr Agnieszka Helman-Ważny We opened in January with toms and celebrations. tions, the mystery of Dr Agnieszka Helman- Our next speaker, Dr An- ’whirlwind binding.’ The Ważny’s (Centre for the tonello Palumbo (SOAS), early Chinese Anhui Daxue Study of Manuscript Cul- also shed light on the hid- manuscripts were re- tures, Hamburg) talk on den depths of extant mate- interpreted by Dr Dirk Mey- the spread of paper-making rial sources—exploring the er (), technology, which placed interactions between impe- including the beloved poem the medium of paper cen- rial propaganda, Daoism, ’Guanju;’ and the series con- Dr Antonello Palumbo tre-stage. and Manichaeism in two cluded with Dr Brandon Dotson’s (Georgetown Uni- From the technicalities of Tang-era Dunhuang manu- versity) talk on dice divina- material production, Prof. scripts. tion along the Silk Roads. Matteo Compareti (Shaanxi Manuscripts were also Normal University) pre- central to our remaining - Kelsey Granger PAGE 4 Interview with Prof. van de Ven and Dr Galambos In this issue, we speak with Prof. van de Ven and Dr Galambos on the past, present, and future of the China Research Seminar series and the Dunhuang and the Silk Road Seminar series. The recent lockdown has given us all much ers from other cities and countries, which was of time to stop and reflect—what were the course a major step forward. original aims of your seminar series and do you feel these have changed over time? What has been a highlight of the seminar se- Prof. van de Ven: We had three aims. The ries this academic year in your eyes? first was to strengthen a sense of cohesion Prof. van de Ven: First because of the UCU among all those working on China at Cambridge strike and then the pandemic, we twice had to by being together once a week. We also wanted cancel a talk by Jennifer Altehenger, a University to hear about important new research in the Lecturer at Oxford and a specialist in early PRC UK especially, although not only, by early career history. She began her career as an undergradu- researchers. And finally we wanted to increase ate here with us. That was a pity, but we will the visibility of China Studies within Cambridge. have her back once we restart in the fall. For me, Over the years, we have brought in some inno- one highlight was a panel session on Reading the vations. We are now on Twitter and Facebook China Dream, presented by Timothy Cheek and have developed a substantial following. The (UBC), David Ownby (Montreal), and Joshua next step will be to make better use of the Fogel (York University in Canada). Tim and Da- online world, whose possibilities the pandemic vid were class mates at Harvard, while Josh was a has revealed to us. I would like us to stay local teacher there. We had lovely talks by Noga Ga- and not simply have big names from all over the nany and Hajni Elias, who are now colleagues. world, which is a temptation. But our graduates Another highlight was Barbara Mittler from Hei- are all over the world and the research we pre- delberg University. She presented a wonderful sent will be of interest to many others as well. talk about the uses of Mao portraits by an Indian We should exploit that. artist. She did so from Heidelberg early on in the pandemic using Skype. Now that we are all on Dr Galambos: Originally, the seminar series Zoom, Teams, and Meets, that now seems very were simply weekly meetings with a visiting old technology. It made clear the possibilities of graduate student who was working on a the online, though. Dunhuang manuscript. Then my two visiting scholars from Beijing joined us, which resulted in much more discussion. Once we ran out of pre- senters, we invited others to present and to participate. This is how the Dunhuang and Silk Road seminar series started. Fortunately, there were always enough academics around Cam- bridge who were interested in the Silk Road and medieval China. So initially, the seminar series was a forum for researchers working on rele- David Ownby, Timothy Creek, and Joshua Fogel vant topics in the Cambridge area. Later on, presenting at the China Research Seminar series with the generous funding of the Glorisun Foun- (Mich ‘19) dation and the Dhammachai International Re- search Institute, we were able to invite present- VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2 PAGE 5

and I am glad that we went ahead with the or- ganising of the talks.

What can we look forward to in the future from these seminar series? Prof. van de Ven: There will be change. Dr Adam Chau is taking over from me convening the seminar from next term. It will be up to him, but I suppose we will want to make more Dr Li Channa and Dr Brandon Dotson use of the new online possibilities. A great as- presenting at the Dunhuang and Silk Road pect of the series has been the post-talk dinners Seminar series (Mich ‘19 and Lent ‘20) at Sala Thong, which really helped to create a sense of community and where invariably we Dr Galambos: I think most of the talks were had wide-ranging and in-depth discussions. Stu- very good. We try to have presenters from dents were able to participate because we different academic backgrounds, so there have capped their expenditure at £10. Adam showed been talks on manuscript studies, art history, himself a masterly and effervescent linguistics, history, religious studies, philology, host. We will have to see to what etc. Some were by accomplished scholars, oth- extent the pandemic will allow us to ers by young academics at the start of their continue this tradition, but I would career. Occasionally, we have had Cambridge “I would say that be very sad to lose it, as would Ad- graduate students present. So rather than sin- am, I am sure. the best thing gling out one or two presentations, I would say that the best thing about this year was the wide Dr Galambos: We will continue about this year to run this seminar series, whether variety of topics from a wide range of disci- was the wide plines. at the faculty or online. If online, we could take advantage of being able variety of topics

to interact with people from distant from a wide range And have any of the talks during the semi- countries and make it a bigger nar series’ history been so eye-opening or event. If holding them at the faculty, of disciplines” ground-breaking that they still remain fresh perhaps we could start recording in your mind? the talks to make them available to a Dr Galambos: Many of the talks were. Some wider audience. of them were eye-opening for me because they were relatively distant from my own field of And finally, the China Research Seminar se- research. But even among those that deal with ries always goes to local restaurant Sala- Dunhuang studies, we have had quite a few thong—Prof. van de Ven, what are your dish inspiring presentations along the way. recommendations?

Prof. van de Ven: You must ask Adam. Rather How has the lockdown affected the seminar than all of us ordering separately, Adam chose series this year? our food. We were never disappointed, but I Dr Galambos: During the lockdown, we con- therefore don't really know the dishes on the tinued our seminars online, which was far from menu! ideal but also meant that people from countries And Dr Galambos, the Dunhuang and Silk such as Germany and China could participate. It Road Seminar series has experimented with was good to see that visiting scholars who had lunches and dinners at various restaurants— already gone home were able to join us too. My which would you most highly recommend? primary aim was to break the monotony of the Dr Galambos: This is really a matter of prefer- lockdown and to offer an intellectual stimulus ence, I think. I like Côte Brasserie and a couple to our graduate students and visiting scholars. of Chinese restaurants. We probably need more There was an overwhelmingly positive response research in this area... PAGE 6 Past and Present

In this issue, Prof. Sterckx and Jenny Zhao (research fellow at the Needham Institute / Darwin College) interview famed Faculty member and world-renowned sinologist, Dr Michael Loewe.

Since this interview took place in August 2019, Dr Loewe also celebrated fifty years as a Fellow of Clare Hall College in March 2020 with the launch of the Loewe Bursary for a Master’s student in the humanities.

Prof. Sterckx, Dr Roel: Michael, what drew you to the Han I go back to that? With hindsight, I should Loewe, and Jenny dynasty when you started off? have done that, I know that perfectly well. Zhao at Willow But instead I stayed with GCHQ. So that put What was I thinking in the 1950s? I took my House, me on to learning Chinese, but this was for degree in ; I believe it was in 1951. I Grantchester modern intelligence purposes. And while decided that I was not vitally interested in August 2019 doing so, I then decided to read for a degree pre-imperial history. On the other in Chinese in London with a focus on pre- “One was almost a hand, for anything after Han, I con- modern Chinese. cluded, you’ve probably got to learn regular Daoist; he Sanskrit. So there I was, landing in Roel: In 1947, you go to Beijing, Beiping, spoke Chinese and these early imperial times where I felt for the first time. What do you remember I could cope. Now, all your working nothing else. Others of that visit? life you have had the benefit of punc- I went with a colleague. There we were, two took us along in tuated editions of the dynastic histo- youngsters, 24 or 25 years old, posted to ries; oh no, we didn’t have those. conversational the consulate in Beiping. Our job was to Today you have your modern dic- learn language. The old British Legation was Chinese and we tionaries, we only had the Cihai and a park with several houses in it. We were the Ciyuan, and concordances. were free to get assigned teachers. One was almost a regular Daoist; he spoke Chinese and nothing else. around the city as Roel: If we go even further back. Others took us along in conversational Chi- much as we could, You come from a distinguished nese and we were free to get around the family, so when did China appear city as much as we could, which we did. which we did.” on your radar and why?

During 1942-45, I was working in GCHQ, Jenny: One area that has generated in- breaking Japanese codes and ciphers, having creasing interest, both in China and in been trained in Japanese language. Then the West, is the comparative study of came the end of the war, and I was asked by empires, Rome and China. From your that office whether I would like to be trained personal point of view, what would be in and have a permanent the promising areas of investigation, in job there? Well, put yourself in the position terms of comparison? of a youngster in his early 20s – the world I have a book under review at the moment had been torn asunder, how was it going to by a press on precisely this subject. You can come back into place again? Do you accept look at it from ideas on how you govern and the job offer or do you say, no, I didn’t finish what types of institutions you set up to do so. You can also approach comparison by my undergraduate degree in Oxford, should looking at empire as economic practice—

CAMBRIDGE CHINESE ST UDIES NEWSLETTER VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2 PAGE 7 Past and Present contin.

where does stimulus come from, how is it con- Roel: What do you strained? You can look at the social distinctions believe to be the which emerge and whether they may have been sorts of issues that forced upon people or recommended. You can young scholars who compare different ways of colonial advances, study early and pre- different in Rome, hardly a concept in China. modern China today You can focus on the concept of the individual should be looking at? to get to the really basic level. If you are a citi- I probably would ad- zen of Rome, you are in a very different position vise them to direct than, say, if you were working on a plot of land, more attention to religious aspects and examine if you’re lucky, in Hunan. These are the sorts of how these affected other aspects of Chinese Dr Michael Loewe questions I have been trying to look at. society. I don’t think I would personally concen- trate too much on economic extensions, though there could very well be a case for doing that or Jenny: Looking back at your academic ca- for looking at social relationships and structure. reer, would you say that you’ve been moti- Of course, there is always a very good vated by different kinds of questions at dif- case to be made for extreme specialisa- ferent stages of that career, or is there an tion – the history of texts. For instance, overarching set of questions that has been what I’m in engaged in at the moment driving you? is the question of how many people I have tried to apply myself to different aspects wrote a Hou Hanshu – a history of the “The more I look of early imperial Chinese society – basic philo- Later ? My answer so far is at it, the more I sophical background, administrative methods, there are fragments of about 20. I am careers of individuals. What I’m concerned looking at those fragments, trying to realise how much about at the moment is Eastern Han, to which I figure out motives, deficiencies in the haven’t paid all that much attention. I’m thinking texts which we’ve got. There is an more work there is at the moment that, by that time, Han very soon enormous amount of work of that sort to be done.” became a shambles. to be done, textual work, and that ben- efits enormously now from the ma- Roel: If you were to be studying a civilization chines [RS: Michael refers to comput- other than China, would the type of research ers and digitisation]. How far I’ll be able questions that you’ve asked been broadly to take it, I don’t know. The more I similar? look at it, the more I realise how much more work there is to be done. I would say that it is the research field itself which regulates. Other people of course work from a completely opposite point of view. For For an extended version of this interview in instance, scholars of religion would ask very Chinese, see: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ different questions. I would tend to say, well, O1ggf_2TeExJAdPal_9HJA here’s the evidence, what does it represent, or scan the QR code: what does it reveal? Others would argue, well, what evidence is there in Shang society for a belief in whatever it would be? I think these are two different approaches.

PAGE 8 Reducing the Distance

Things have certainly changed drastically from when our first issue was published last December. The past six months have seen our Faculty doors close, face-masks and PPE have become the new normal, and we are in many ways more remote from each other than ever before. However, our staff and students alike have proven that it is not the building that binds us all together—with zoom seminars, virtual hangouts, book clubs, and more uniting us and keeping us connected in these unprecedented times.

Our graduate students (as seen below) have also organised zoom hangouts (the young- est participant being six weeks old!) and started a book club—meeting on 8 July to discuss both Petre and Rugg's The Unwritten Rules of PhD Research (2020) and Kelskey's The Professor Is In: The Essential Guide to Turning Your PH.D. Into a Job (2015).

As Nick Stember (current PhD student and DEAS Student Rep.) reports, “participants Our intrepid First Year students (as seen shared their thoughts on the two books, and above) have certainly mastered the art of remote learning with Chinese language classes, history revi- discussed their personal experiences navigating sion sessions, plus weekly virtual hang-outs, pub the transition from graduate students to would- quizzes, and an end of term party, all taking place on be academic professionals. Of particular inter- zoom! Cheers indeed! est was the application process for post- As already mentioned, the Dunhuang and Silk doctorate and tenure-track positions, and cur- Road Seminar series continued this term on rent expectations of employers for competitive zoom—inviting speakers including Dr Sam van candidates. Distinctions between writing for the Schaik (), Prof. Almut Hintze (SOAS), dissertation, and writing for publication were Dr Gábor Kósa (ELTE University, ), and discussed, with reference to the debate over our own Dr Hajni Elias to speak on subjects as var- what one should publish when for maximum ied as Buddhist magic in Tibetan spell-books, Zoro- impact. Finally, the importance of building a astrian references in Sogdian art, and Chinese Mani- support network of researchers in your sub- chaean manuscripts. If you wish to be added to the field was stressed, and online resources for mailing list regarding future talks, please email doing so were shared.” Hopefully this is the [email protected] start of a new venture in the Faculty!

For Dr Galambos, he and his PhD students moved their text reading class of The Sutra of Repaying Kind- ness onto zoom and have timed each session with the musical arrival of a fish-and-chip van, to the great delight of all. Everyone has enjoyed reuniting each week, learning new Buddhist concepts, and debating over which English words work best for various references to ‘light / radiance / rays’ etc!

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2 PAGE 9

First Years’ Report on Lent ‘20

oriented seminars covering a wide range of topics. The thematic or chronological overlap- ping of different lectures allowed for a strong contextual understanding of key events or movements in East Asian history. For exam- ple, our exploration of the evolution of mod- ern Japanese literature was facilitated by our previously acquired understanding of the Meiji Revolution.

During Lent term, we debuted our study of Literary Chinese under the guidance of Prof. Roel Sterckx and Dr Avital Rom, covering an array of Chinese philosophers and thinkers and spanning schools of thought from Daoism to Legalism. Despite our initial trepidation, the study of Literary Chinese proved an en- First Years at a Lent Formal Dinner riching challenge in that it required a complete For many of us, Lent term (and Cambridge) shift in paradigm from the study of Modern may now seem a distant memory - so let’s get Mandarin. Mastering Literary Chinese goes nostalgic and recall the last time we were gath- hand in hand with developing one’s mental ered together within the familiar brick walls of agility, as one must not only memorize a num- the AMES faculty building. It’s an experience ber of essential function words but only famil- that just cannot be virtually replicated, no mat- iarize oneself with characters that can take on ter how many Sidgwick site backgrounds we put up on Zoom. as many as twenty different meanings or grammatical functions based on syntactic con- As we progressed towards a more advanced text. This makes translating texts a sort of level of Chinese, our classes began to be taught puzzle, one that is incredibly satisfying to almost entirely in Mandarin. Despite grappling solve, both individually and as a group, once with this at first, this immersive experience the inherently logical and contextual nature of became incredibly satisfying once we realized the language has been grasped. how far our listening comprehension skills had come in the past few months. Conversations in Looking back now, we were fortunate to have Chinese between students began to take place been able to enjoy another full term in Cam- outside of the classroom, eager as we were to bridge, and we hope to be back again to expe- show off our newly acquired 中文生词 rience another one in October. For the time being, 假期快乐! (especially on nights out and during formals, for some inexplicable reason...). - Juliette Odolant

In EAS1, we delved into the modern histories Undergraduate class of 2019 of China, Japan, and Korea, with thematically PAGE 1 0 First Years’ Report on Easter ‘20

When Lent term ended and the quarantine the dedication and commitment they have period began, we were all devastated at the shown to our learning during this difficult thought of not being able to come back to time, and we can’t wait to see each other Cambridge for Easter term. We felt a term again at Cambridge again soon! without intense EAS1 debates, tense ‘tingxie’s, - Harriet Howarth Wu laoshi’s jokes and trips to the buttery Undergraduate class of 2019 wouldn’t be a real term at all.

However, Easter term online has far exceeded our expectations. EAS1 debates, tense I am grateful beyond words to our teach- 'tingxie's and Wu Laoshi’s jokes, we are happy ers, as always, for conducting this online to say, have all remained important parts of term with such ingenuity and creativity. In our term online. a time when cancellations are many and disappointment is natural, the Chinese Fast paced quizzes using the annotate function department inspired joy and motivation on Zoom (with maybe a few artistic doodles with their inventive teaching methods. added to the mix), tea and breakfast breaks, Thanks to them, we will not look back on family and pet appearances and fun back- the term with regret, but rather remem- grounds have all been cheerful and heartening ber the special memories that we made additions to our Cambridge learning experi- nonetheless, which will always make us ence. Weekly class chats over Zoom on a smile as we look back on this challenging Wednesday evening have helped relieve exam period. I will particularly cherish Hong stress, especially with a fantastic pub-quiz craft- Laoshi’s online Zoom party, where we ed by Sophie! teamed up and created entertaining vide- The end-of-term party, where the whole class os to share with our classmates. Thank gathered together with Hong Laoshi and Wu you so much to our teachers for their Laoshi (and Wu Laoshi’s adorable son!) to unending commitment to us. Keep safe watch our quarantine-related Mandarin video and in high spirits, everyone! projects was a lovely way to finish what has - Joe Beadle been an extraordinary term. Undergraduate class of 2019 We whole-heartedly thank all our teachers for

First Years and Emma Wu posing with their textbooks on a Zoom call!

CAMBRIDGE CHINESE ST UDIES NEWSLETTER VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2 PAGE 1 1 Maintaining and Improving Language Skills during a Quarantined, -less Summer: A Student-Compiled Crash Course

This issue, First-Year student Juliette Odolant explores (and illustrates!) ways for students to keep up their language skills over the long summer break.

Is it possible to maintain language skills during the summer our four month long summer. However by shifting our holidays, especially when the countries where said language attitude towards work and treating language practice is spoken have become inaccessible due to a worldwide as a habit that forms part of our daily routine rather health crisis? Should we simply take the loss of our Chinese than a chore, this should soon come to feel perfectly as a given and move on? Must we accept the inevitable wrath feasible. of our teachers come October when we tentatively offer up Once we have sufficiently vacationed and vacated, what our rusty 老师好’s? The answer, fortunately, is no. To next? A helpful method is to find a balance between prevent panicking when presented with the directional com- passive and active language learning. On days when plement structure next Michaelmas, I compiled a few solu- you’re feeling less inclined to commit to a hands-on tions, then pestered teachers and fellow classmates alike for study session, you can prioritize passive learning. guidance regarding how to maintain and bolster our 汉语水 平. Passive learning involves immersing oneself in a lan- guage through listening or reading, and is invaluable in There are an overwhelming number of ways to consolidate increasing one’s familiarity with vocabulary and speech one’s language skills during the holidays. However it is im- portant to remember that a vacation should first serve the flow. When you’re feeling sufficiently 加油-ed, focus purpose indicated by the word itself - that is, to momentarily on some active learning - this consists of active vacate our positions as students, rid our minds of the pres- memory recall through speaking, writing and translat- sures of university life, and in so doing, inevitably rid our ing. minds of some of our so lovingly memorized 汉字. In order As a means of passive learning, first years enjoy listen- to avoid total amnesia, students and teachers recommend ing to podcasts, watching movies or tv shows or listen- not forgoing language practice for longer than a few weeks. ing to music in their target language (some even go so This may seem a short holiday when placed in the context of far as analysing Chinese rap lyrics). As well as improv- ing one’s listening comprehension, these activities also allow for more engagement with everyday Chinese and Taiwanese culture and in so doing build up our appre- ciation for it, reminding us why we’re studying the lan- guage in the first place. Here is a streamlined list of class recommendations: Movies: 5th Generation films are an essential in any Chinese movie-buff’s repertoire - Morrison recom- mends To Live and any other film by Zhang Yimou (House of Flying Daggers, Shadow). Try a Bruce Li film if you’re feeling more action than dialogue. Some come- dies recommended by James: Hello, Mr Billionaire (西虹 市首富) and Kung Fu Hustle. Joe has offered up some tearjerkers with A Sun (陽光普照) and Us and Them (後來的我們). PAGE 1 2

TV Shows: In terms of TV shows, has looking at the given translation is a great way of a plethora of binge-worthy romance/dramas maintaining linguistic agility. on offer - Meteor Garden, The Princess

Weiyoung, A Love So Beautiful, Ice Fantasy, Scis- sor Seven, Dear Ex, The Untamed are all worth a watch. Watch viral videos on , or contribute to dismantling the orientalist trope by exploring @goldthread2 Instagram IGTVs.

Podcasts: 听故事学中文 remains a class

favourite, with Pop Up Chinese, Chinese Pod and

Speak Chinese Naturally all tying in second place.

Reading in one’s Active learning also constitutes a vital part of lan- target language guage acquisition, albeit one that requires slightly lies in the interim more effort. Reviewing past lessons (vocabulary, area between grammar) is a must, so open up your Anki and passive and active listen to your laptop whir with disapproval as you learning. Wu try to remember the characters for “spicy red Laoshi encour- pepper”. Engaging with new material can also be a ages us to read way of renewing focus and motivation - some aloud everyday - students have opted to follow an online course, either from text- while others have set themselves the project of books, classwork, memorizing a number of words from HSK 4/5 supervision mate- vocabulary lists each day. You could also try famil- rials or authentic iarizing yourself with interesting Chinese idioms Chinese texts and the stories behind them, in which case this list found online. Be- may be helpful: https://www.saporedicina.com/ ginning with sim- english/list-chengyu/ Write them down and stick pler stories, students can work their way up them on your fridge or bedroom door, creating to more complex texts with increasingly less opportunities to learn at every turn. comprehensible input such as newspaper arti- For some fun active engagement, classmates or- cles, blog posts or book excerpts, making sure ganise zoom calls and challenge themselves to to look up words that they don’t recognize speak only in Chinese. Apps such as HelloTalk, and practicing writing them. Look for texts where you are paired with a native Chinese centered on your own interests, whether that speaker learning English, also provide opportuni- be politics or the first cloned Chinese cat. ties for mutual language improvement as well as Some helpful reading resources: guaranteed amusement at every inevitable cultural https://mychinesereading.com/, faux pas. http://chinesereadingpractice.com/, I wish you the best of luck in your summertime https://hskreading.com/, Chinese learning endeavours! Remember to 享受 https://www.thechairmansbao.com/. the 工作, but don’t forget to also 好好儿地休息! If you’re up for the challenge, try reading an Thank you to Wu Laoshi, Hong Laoshi, Sophie, Angel, article from Global Times or China Today - Morrison, Jonathan, James, Harriet, Ella, Callum and the latter also offers the option to read the Liam for their words of wisdom. same content in English. Reading bilingual - Juliette Odolant materials online and attempting to translate Undergraduate class of 2019 texts from English to Chinese mentally before VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2 PAGE 1 3 Year Abroad Updates

All Chinese Studies graduands come back from their Year Abroad with some crazy stories, from starring as background characters in movies to recording full rap albums. However, the class of 2017 might just blow these stories out of the water. Moving from Beijing to Taiwan during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Third-Year student Harriet Spring fills us in on an undeniably unusual Year Abroad experience.

My year abroad started out as Shanghai. In January, we even took flight schedules. To offset this would be expected for any oth- the opportunity to travel outside stress, I joined a football club, er student in Chinese Studies, of China, where my classmates through which I met new friends with my classmates and I mov- toured South Asia in true “gap and pen-pals, and made sure to ing to our university of choice yah” style, while I spent the whole explore as much Taiwanese re- in Beijing. Before long, we were period in Tokyo, with plans to gional cuisine as possible. nicely settled into our accom- reunite with my friends in Beijing As atypical as our year abroad has modation and keen to start our in February. been, I feel extremely lucky that I year at However, these plans became im- was able to further my studies (PKU). I couldn’t help but com- possible when we saw the news despite the severity of the situa- pare my initial experiences to coming out of China. In just a few tion, and to have benefited from a the fondly-recounted memories short days, we had to completely rich and diverse set of experienc- shared by alumni: competing uproot ourselves from Beijing and es both in Beijing and Taipei, with the chaotic Beijing traffic relocate to Taipei, find a new place through which I have been in- in the mornings, delighting in to stay, and enrol in a new univer- credibly fortunate to have such a steaming vegetable baozi in sity course. Thankfully, we were supportive group of friends and between lessons, and forging able to set ourselves up in a new classmates, who have taught me deeper bonds with my class- apartment and join an existing countless things along the way. mates, all the while working to course at the National Taiwan - Harriet Spring a packed schedule on a beauti- Normal University (NTNU), Undergraduate class of 2017 ful campus. where we had done a summer Outside of our classes, we course two years prior. Our expe- made sure to make the most of rience at NTNU was very different our free time by travelling to as to PKU, largely due to the in- many places around China as creased administrative effort of possible, from sizzling Sichuan attempting to retrieve our belong- to freezing Harbin, and the pic- ings from Beijing, along with the turesque scenery of daunting prospect of organising to the diverse architecture of our return through fluctuating PAGE 1 4 Meet a Graduate Student

In this issue, we speak with current graduate student Feng Jing about their research on codicology and medieval Chinese manuscripts.

Jing, you are currently in your third year of your PhD here at Cambridge, can you give a short summary of your research topic? My PhD dissertation is a study of codices from the Dunhuang library cave and sites around Turfan in northwest China, with the aim of re- vealing the complex interplay of cultural, eco- nomic, and functional elements involved in the manufacture of manuscripts on the Silk Road from the ninth to the eleventh century. This entails examining the material characteristics of codices, including their format, binding, struc- ture, ruling, paper, decoration, and layout, in order to show the motivations of different na- tures behind their production as well as to un- cover the ways social interactions and cultural exchanges have shaped these manuscripts. Jing presenting at the Dunhuang and Silk Road Seminar series (Lent ‘20)

In my opinion, the charm of codicology lies in two aspects: first, it is a refreshing departure from the established pattern of research which regards the text as the singular focus of enquiry. Codicology promotes the observation of the physical characteristics of manuscripts, which expands the scope of materials one can use while attempting to understand the history of books and enriches our current understanding of the transmission of texts from a material perspective. Jing presenting at the Needham Research Codicological research also unearths valuable Institute Seminar series (Lent ‘20) clues about techniques used to make manu- scripts, and provides answers to a series of ques- This year you spoke at the Dunhuang and tions concerning the manufacture of manuscripts Silk Road Seminar series as well as at the which have not been well answered by transmit- Needham Institute. What do you think ted literature. makes the field of codicology so fascinating? Secondly, while codicology has gained greater Codicology is a branch of scholarship which traction as an independent subject in recent studies manuscripts as material artefacts. In a years, from my point of view, its greatest poten- wider sense, it also includes the study of the tial lies in how it can be used to inform other social and cultural functions of manuscripts as a subjects. Codicological research can advance historical phenomenon.

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manuscript-related research in other fields, rials and dealing with students’ questions, I have such as Buddhist studies, literature studies, accumulated valuable teaching experience and and area studies, through offering additional become more confident when facing students. information on the physical characteristics of This is very important for my future career as I manuscripts. This makes codicology an inspir- would like to be a lecturer in a university. In ing field full of infinite possibilities. Michaelmas 2019, I increased this to four hours of supervisions per week, which was a great chal- lenge at first but later proved to be very reward- Along with other students supervised by Dr ing. I found myself more skilled at expressing Galambos, you have been to see manu- myself in English and more experienced in re- scripts in the British Library collections sponding to students’ questions as time went on. many times over these past few years. What is a standout manuscript that you were thrilled to see in person? And with the current lockdown, what aspect Seeing original items in person is always a of student life at Cambridge do you miss the thrill. You never know what is waiting for you. most? One example which gave me a great surprise The University Library and Faculty Library consti- is a leaf of the Diamond Sutra from the Stein tute significant parts of my research life in Cam- collection. In terms of its content, this frag- bridge, but unfortunately they have been closed ment is unimpressive, especially given the fact during the lockdown. I miss the feeling of walking that there are many complete copies of the around in the library, and the unexpected joy Diamond Sutra from medieval China. The edi- when encountering books relevant to my re- tion on this fragment is also one which is com- search. As far as social life goes, May Balls, gar- monly seen, offering no new insight with re- den parties, and other celebrations which make gards to textual criticism. up May Week are cancelled this year. Without It is not until I examined the physical charac- Pimm’s, strawberry ice-cream, midsummer fairs, teristics of the manuscript in person that I and galas, Cambridge is a bit too quiet this sum- realised its value in demonstrating cultural mer! exchange on the periphery of Central China. The leaf consists of two sheets of paper stuck together face to face. From published images we are unable to see this aspect because the manuscript is photographed as a flat object. Trivial as it might seem, this double-layer de- sign is similar to Tibetan pothis, which indi- cates a Tibetan influence on the manuscript culture of Dunhuang from the second half of the eighth century.

What has been your most memorable ex- perience during your time in the ? Working as a supervisor of literary Chinese in my second and third year has been the most meaningful experience. It gives me a wonder- Jing with her classmates and supervisor Dr ful opportunity to talk with students and to Galambos at the British Library, Mich ‘19 learn how to teach. Through preparing mate- PAGE 1 6 Thomas Wade Society Updates

The Thomas Wade Society was founded in 2009 ety of industries, professions and locations. as the University of Cambridge Chinese Studies Especially in these difficult times, with many Alumni Society. Until 2016 the society was people facing uncertainty regarding job pro- dormant, when the Class of 2016 decided to spects, the directory will hopefully prove rebuild the society into something new that could useful for current students and recent grad- bring faculty members, alumni and friends of the uates who are about to start their careers, Faculty together. as well as more seasoned alumni looking for Year of the Rat in London In early February, TWS members in London opportunities to network. gathered to celebrate the start of the Year of If you are a current or former student of the Rat (pictured). Alumni and fourth year Chinese Studies and would like to gain ac- students enjoyed catching up over lunch and cess to the directory, please get in touch discussing career progression, travel tales, via [email protected]. If you are and plans for the coming year. an alumnus of the Chinese Studies course In March, TWS launched its new China Ca- and would be willing to share your contact reers Directory – an online directory of information through the directory (and have graduates of the Cambridge Chinese Studies TWS members contact you for career ad- course that aims to enable current and for- vice), please fill in the following Google mer students to reach out to each other for Form: https://tinyurl.com/ career advice and networking. To date, near- TWSCareersDirectorySignup ly forty TWS members have shared their - Caroline Meinhardt information, representing an astonishing vari- Undergraduate class of 2012 Cambridge-Hamburg Graduate Student Conference 2020 This January, four of Dr Galambos’ PhD After a packed day of talks on topics as students (Junfu Wong, Flavia Fang, Kelsey varied as Buddhism, Nestorianism, fra- Granger, and Phra Kiattisak Ponampon) grance, and lapdogs, discussion contin- headed to Paris for the second Cam- ued over one of many wonderful din- bridge-Hamburg Graduate Student Con- ners. Seeing and presenting on selected ference on Manuscript Studies. manuscripts from the Pelliot collection The first, held in Robinson College, took the next day was also a dream come place in May 2019 and saw students from true. Equally stunning were the treas- Cambridge, Hamburg, and Ghent discuss ures stored in the Musée Guimet, par- aspects of material culture and manu- ticularly the incredible Buddhist art- script studies. The day of exciting talks works not usually on display. concluded, rightfully so, with a traditional formal dinner in the college. A third and final conference is planned for 2021 to be hosted in Hamburg, and This follow-up conference was held in the all the students are excited to reunite École française d'Extrême-Orient and also and continue these fascinating discus- involved trips to the Bibliothèque natio- sions in the near future. nale de France and the Musée Guimet. - Kelsey Granger VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2 PAGE 1 7 What’s in a Picture? - A Course on Chinese Art and Material Culture

art conveys ideas in ways which contrast with texts, fash- ioned from words and verbal reasonings, perhaps written later in time and thousands of miles away. Sometimes, when texts do not exist material culture is all we have! Art can therefore provide us with different perspectives, allowing us to understand events, situations, cultures, and peoples in an informative and more nuanced manner.

The knowledge gathered from this experience can inspire and contribute to how we think, feel and experience our Fig. 1: Archaic bronze altar set, late 11th century world today. The course I shall be teaching in the Lent BCE, –Western Zhou dynasty (1046 Term, titled ‘Chinese Art and Material Culture’, is about –771 B.C.), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New looking at pictures and hundreds of them! We shall examine York treasures from China’s bronze age; the magnificent tomb art of the Han dynasty; Buddhist sculptures produced on the Not long after submitting my PhD dissertation, I was grandest scale as seen at the Longmen asked by someone how long it was. Although some- Caves in Luoyang; the fusion of free- what perplexed by the question (does length matter dom and individual spirit found in over substance?), I told the person that it was over objects made for the scholar-literati 300 pages. The comment that followed was even of the Song dynasty; the brilliance of more baffling, ‘but it has a lot of pictures doesn’t it?’ blue and white Ming porcelain (as seen in fig. 2); and the propaganda art

that celebrated the working class of Why should we look at pictures and, indeed, why the Great Cultural Revolution - just study art? Simply put, because it’s beautiful and inter- to name a few. We shall also look at esting. At a deeper level, art from any period holds the history of Chinese art collecting clues to life as it was. It can take us back in time and in the 20 - 21st centuries and consid- space, to periods different from ours. By seeking to er current art market trends with Fig. 2: Ming blue and understand an artefact’s subject, material, shape, some of the driving forces behind them. colour, and use, we can learn about the culture and white porcelain

society that produced it. For example, as we inter- pret the images on archaic bronze ritual vessels, By the end of the course students will be able to discuss such as the magnificent pieces from the Metropolitan Chinese art from different periods and identify key artistic Museum of Art, New York, dated to the late 11th developments that shaped China’s material culture through- century BCE (Fig.1), we can identify what was im- out history and be able to critically analyse media, design, portant to those who made them and how they and form, as well as have an understanding of key textual wished to be remembered. sources available for the study of Chinese art. So the ques- tion is not, ‘why study art?’ but should be, ‘why would you

not study art?’ Art also provides a different, and often complemen-

tary, perspective alongside the reading of texts. Cus- tomarily produced by ‘local’ artists and craftsmen, - Dr Hajni Elias PAGE 1 8

Staff Updates

Dr Imre Galambos has finished his book wang; and ‘Religion and Social Change in Re- Dunhuang Manuscript Culture: End of the First form-Era China’ in Routledge Handbook on Millennium, on which he has been working for Chinese Culture and Society, edited by Kevin the past few years. It will come out in the Man- Latham. He is currently coordinating and uscript Studies series at De Gruyter. editing a book project called Chinese Religious He adds that “the lockdown certainly changed Culture in 100 Objects, initiated by the Society our lives and made us appreciate even more for the Study of Chinese Religions. the wonderful libraries we have in Cambridge, We would also like to congratulate Dr Chau as being without them is a challenge we feel on recently being made Reader in the An- every single day. At the same time, thropology of China. the fact that we could not travel anymore was a bonus which saved Prof. Hans van de Ven reports on an ar- quite a bit of time and energy. It ray of publications this calendar year, with makes one re-think whether aca- the Chinese translation of China at demic travelling is always worth War coming out in Taipei this month along- the effort.” side an article in Twenty-First Century in called 'Wartime Everydayness: Beyond As an academic visitor in the the Battlefield in WW2.’ He has also been School of Sociology at Beijing Nor- the co-editor and contributor for the edited malThis Universitystory can fit during100-150 thewords. second volume The : A Centu- halfThe ofsubject December, matter that 2019, appears Dr in Ad- newslettersry in Ten Lives, which he is thrilled to report is amis virtually Chau endless. gave a You series can of include lectures stories thatnow in press at Cambridge University Press. andfocus classes on current relating technologies to his research or innovations This will be published next June, just in time andin your participated field. in two work- for the centenary commemorations for the shops,You may onealso want on to temporary note business built or eco-founding of the Chinese Communist Party. structuresnomic trends, in or ‘Old make Beijing’ predictions and thefor your othercustomers on or key clients. words in folklore Dr Joseph (Joe) McDermott reports that studiesIf the newsletter in China. is distributedHis host wasinternally, Dr you “During the past academic year, in addition Ju Xi 鞠熙, anmight expert comment on upon Beijing new folklore. procedures Dr or im- provements to the business. Sales figures orto seeing the second of my Huizhou volumes Chau also metearnings up will with show some how Chineseyour business col- is grow-to publication (CUP, 2020), I had the good leagues and ing. old friends, including Prof. Yue fortune to spend the fall at Beida, where I 岳永逸 刘建树, Yongyi Someand newsletters Dr Liu Jianshu include a columnwho that is benefited greatly from regular interaction were visiting updatedscholars every in our issue, faculty for instance, in 2012 an-13 advice with teachers and students, and then winter and 2014-15 column,respectively. a book review, a letter from the presi-in Japan, where I researched Chaozhou, 1500 dent, or an editorial. You can also profile new-1650, for an introduction to the forthcoming Recent articles include ‘The “Religion employees or top customers or vendors. volume A. de las Cortes, A Visit to China, 1625 Sphere” (zongjiaojie 宗教界) in the Construc- (trans.). During brief research visits to south tion of Modern China’ in Concepts and Methods China I gave research talks in Huizhou, Nan- for the Study of Chinese Religions II: Intellectual chang, and Shanghai. Since returning to Cam- History of Key Concepts, edited by Stefania Trav- bridge in March, lockdown has kept me at agnin and Gregory Scott; ‘Temples and Festi- home, where I have continued research with vals in Rural and Urban China’ in Handbook on the aid of books purchased in China.” Religion in China, edited by Stephan Feucht-

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Staff Updates

Prof. Roel Sterckx spent most of the spring In addition, Dr Ganany is contributing an entry juggling online university teaching and supervising on a ritual guillotine called zha to a collabora- while (painfully) refreshing his maths for home- tive project headed by Dr. Adam Chau, titled schooling and walking a labradoodle who grew Chinese Religious Culture in 100 Objects. She is quite fond of the extra attention and treats that also participating in the collaborative volume come with lockdown. He served on an academic Critical Terms in Chinese Religious Studies, to advisory committee for the City University Hong which she will be co-authoring a chapter on the Kong and, together with Prof. Armin Selbitschka Chinese notion of shen. In the upcoming aca- of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, demic year, Dr. Ganany will welcome two stu- secured a strategic partnership grant for a pro- dents to our doctoral pro- ject entitled “The Materiality of Chinese Ritual.” gram: Li Yizhuo will be joining He published “Agrarian and Mercantile Ideologies us from Hong Kong and Hu in Western Han,” Journal of the Economic and So- Hsin-yi from Taiwan. cial History of the Orient 63.4 (2020). Chinese Thought. From to Cook Ding appeared in Prof. David McMullen up- paperback (London: Penguin, 2020) and has been dates us on the past few contracted to appear in Dutch, Chinese and Rus- years—he has given one talk sian. in PKU and two in Wuhan in 2018. The trip to Wuhan was Leverhulme Early Career Fellow DrThis Hajni story can Elias fit 100-150particularly words. special because the currently teaches Chinese History and, from the translation of his 1988 book The subject matter that appears in newsletters next academic year, a new course on Chinese art was done there and he wanted is virtually endless. You can include stories that and material culture for both FAMESfocus and on Historycurrent technologies to personally or innovations thank the col- of Art students (as explored on pagein your 15) field.. Apart leagues who undertook this from teaching, her current researchYou may explores also want to work.note business or eco- artistic and cultural transmission nomic amongst trends, early or make Du predictions Fu and forhis yourperspective on societies along the Southwest Silk customersRoad, covering or clients. provincial government has the territories of present day Sichuan,If the newsletter Yunnan is distributedbeen the internally, subject you of a recent and Vietnam. might comment upon newarticle procedures published or im-in Tang Studies. Another arti- She has recently completed her manuscriptprovements titled to the business.cle on Sales Du figures Fu has or also been conditionally ac- 'Recorded on Metal and Stone: Memorialearnings will Art show of howcepted your business with the is grow-same journal. Prof. McMullen is ing. the Southwest in Early Imperial China' which has currently spending his time working on a draft been the area of study for her PhDSome dissertation. newsletters includechapter a column on the that Confucian is tradition and on offi- Hajni’s work on early China has appearedupdated every in the issue, forcial instance, history an writing advice for the second Tang volume column, a book review, a letter from the presi- Journal of Asian Studies, in the journal Early China, of the Cambridge History of China series. A fur- dent, or an editorial. You can also profile new and is forthcoming in the Bulletin of the School of ther article on Du Fu is also in the works, employees or top customers or vendors. Oriental and African Studies. wherein he seeks to explain why Du Fu only acquired a reputation as an important literary figure some three or four decades after his Alongside her ongoing book project, Dr Noga death in 770. Ganany is currently working on a research arti- cle examining a sixteenth-century hagiographical album dedicated to the Daoist immortal Xu Xun.

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The Thomas Wade Society was founded University of in 2009 as the University of Cambridge Cambridge, Chinese Studies Alumni Society. Until Sidgwick Site, 2016 the society was dormant, when the Class of 2016 decided to rebuild the socie- Sidgwick Avenue, ty into something new that could bring Cambridge faculty members, alumni and friends of the faculty together. CB3 9DA

If you would like to join the TWS network, please complete the sign-up form at http:// www.ames.cam.ac.uk tinyurl.com/twssignupform and/or join the society’s social media groups on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/553636164826475/) and LinkedIn (https:// www.linkedin.com/groups/8577879). If you have any questions, would like to find out more or even help out, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the committee at [email protected].

For more information and updates, check Daniel Crouch Rare Books (4 Bury Street, St James's, the Cambridge London SW1Y 6AB) is a specialist dealer in antique atlas- es, maps, plans, sea charts and voyages dating from the Chinese Studies fifteenth to the nineteenth centuries. Please scan the QR twitter account: code to access our WeChat account where we post arti- https://twitter.com/ cles on our pieces in Chinese, or contact Miss Qi Sun ChinaCambridge [email protected]

Looking to join our seminar series mailing lists? Please email [email protected] Plus, check our (Kelsey Granger) to be added to the Dunhuang and Silk Road Seminar series mailing library’s twitter list and [email protected] (Prof. van de Ven) to be added to the China Research Semi- account for events nar series mailing list. and information: https://twitter.com/ ames_library

Is there something you would like to be included in our next issue? Don’t hesitate to contact the editor by email at [email protected] whether it be with regards to an event, advertisement, interview idea, general suggestion, or an article contribution. Alumni ’where are they now’ suggestions, vintage photos of the Faculty, and class (virtual) reunions are especially welcomed!