China Economy Lecture featuring Christine Wong — From Growth Engine to Fiscal Drag: Rethinking China’s Local Government Finance
CGIS South Room S250 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United StatesSpeaker: Christine Wong, Visiting Research Professor, East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore China’s local governments drive 85% of public spending and over 80% of infrastructure investment, yet their finances are in crisis. A long-term fiscal erosion, collapsing land revenues, and soaring debt have left them struggling to meet obligations. These challenges stem from deeper […]
Public Matters: Intellectuals and Political Life in China: A Symposium in honor of Merle Goldman (1931-2023)
Room G-08, Larsen Hall 14 Appian Way, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United StatesCo-sponsored by the Harvard-Yenching InstitutePlease join us at the Fairbank Center for a day-long workshop in honor of the work of Merle Goldman, a leading figure at the center and a foremost scholar of her generation who pioneered the study of contemporary Chinese intellectuals. In a full day of panel presentations and discussions, an interdisciplinary […]
Daisy Yan Du – Chinese Animation: Multiplicities in Motion
CGIS South, Room S153 1730 Cambridge St., Cambridge, Massachusetts, United StatesSpeaker: Daisy Yan Du, Associate Professor, Division of Humanities, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Moderator: Alexander Zahlten, Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University Registration appreciated for planning purposes. Chinese Animation: Multiplicities in Motion is the first edited volume that explores the multiple histories, geographies, industries, technologies, media, and transmedialities of Chinese animation, from early animated special […]
Art of Journeys: From Ape Tales to the Monkey King Wukong
Sackler Building, Lower Level 485 Broadway, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United StatesThe launch of the hit game, “Black Myth: Wukong,” in August 2024 has sparked renewed interests in the many historical sites that inspired its stunning visuals. In fact, the role that players take on in the game—an anthropomorphic monkey with supernatural abilities—also has many previous incarnations in the history of Chinese and East Asian art […]
Visiting Scholar Presentation featuring Andrew Erickson — China’s Naval Leadership: Corruption and Capabilities
CGIS South, Room S050 1730 Cambridge St, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United StatesSpeaker: Andrew Erickson, Professor of Strategy, China Maritime Studies Institute, U.S. Naval War College Regarding China’s ability to seize Taiwan or achieve other top-level military objectives, does corruption matter? Since assuming power in 2012, paramount leader Xi Jinping has officially purged seven sitting and retired members of the Central Military Commission (CMC), including two Vice […]
China Humanities Seminar featuring Tamara Chin — How to Do Things with Loanwords: Premodern Sino-Xenic Language Contact in Modern Philology, Linguistics, and Politics, 1870-1970
Common Room, 2 Divinity Ave. 2 Divinity Ave., Cambridge, Massachusetts, United StatesSpeaker: Tamara Chin, Associate Professor of Comparative Literature, Brown University The study of ancient language contact traditionally lacked prestige in both Confucian classical studies and European philology. This changed somewhat in the early twentieth century. The discovery of multilingual manuscript archives in and around Dunhuang coincided with the internationalization of Western-style linguistics, prompting both scientific and political interest […]
Urban China Lecture Series Featuring Cecilia Chu — Building Colonial Hong Kong: The Production of Space in a Speculative City
Presented via ZoomSpeaker: Cecilia Chu, Associate Professor in Architecture, The Chinese University of Hong Kong This talk will explore three central aspects of urban development in colonial Hong Kong: the advent of modern planning closely entwined with early British segregation policies; the role of property investment in the shaping of building forms; and the emergence of a […]
Indigenous Narrative: The Dynamic Biographies of gShen-rab Mi-bo, Founder of the Tibetan Bon Religion
Common Room, 2 Divinity Ave. 2 Divinity Ave., Cambridge, Massachusetts, United StatesSpeaker: Konchok Tsering, Assistant Professor, School for Tibetan Studies, Minzu University of China; HYI Visiting Scholar, 2024-25 Chair/Discussant: Janet Gyatso, Hershey Professor of Buddhist Studies, Harvard University This talk delves into the transformation of gShen-rab Mi-bo’s life stories within the Tibetan Bon religion, examining three significant texts: mDo ‘dus, mdo gzer mig, and mdo dri med gzi brjid. Each […]
Critical Issues Confronting China Series featuring Li Zhang — Anxious China: Rethinking Therapeutic Governing Before and After the Pandemic
CGIS South S020, Belfer Case Study Room 1730 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA, United StatesSpeaker: Li Zhang, Professor of Anthropology, University of California-Davis Discussant: Arthur Kleinman, Esther and Sidney Rabb Professor of Anthropology; Professor of Medical Anthropology in Social Medicine; Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard University Li Zhang (Ph.D. Cornell 1998) is Professor of Anthropology at the University of California-Davis. She is the author of three award-winning books: Strangers in […]
Rethinking Taiwan Workshop – New Interpretations of Taiwan History and Identity
CGIS South, Room S153 1730 Cambridge St., Cambridge, Massachusetts, United StatesSpeakers:Chia-Chiun Shih Chen (陳嘉君), 2024-25 Visiting Fellow of Practice; Chairperson, Shih Ming-Te Cultural FoundationSarah Plovnick, 2024-25 Hou Family Post-Doctoral Fellow in Taiwan Studies, Fairbank Center for Chinese StudiesHardy Stewart, 2024-25 Hou Family Pre-Doctoral Fellow in Taiwan Studies, Fairbank Center for Chinese StudiesModerator: David Der-wei Wang, Edward C. Henderson Professor of Chinese Literature, Harvard UniversityJoin us […]
What is China? New Perspectives in New Eras — An International Symposium
Yenching Auditorium 2 Divinity Ave., Cambridge, Massachusetts, United StatesKeynote Speaker: Ge Zhaoguang 葛兆光, Fudan UniversitySpeakers:April 18, 2-5:30pm, Yenching AuditoriumMark C. Elliot, Harvard UniversityJames Robson, Harvard UniversityPeter K. Bol, Harvard UniversityRonald C. Po, London University of Economics Kung Ling-wei, Academia Sinica David Der-wei Wang, Harvard UniversityApril 19, 9:30 am - 5:30pm, The Yenching Common RoomLi Yuyang, Beijing Normal UniversityYing Lei, Amherst College Tu Hang, National University of […]
Visiting Scholar Presentation featuring Shih-Diing Liu — Who’s Afraid of Gender? Revisiting Engendering China 31 Years On
Room K354, CGIS Knafel 1737 Cambridge St, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United StatesSpeaker: Shih-Diing Liu (刘世鼎), Professor of Communication and Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Advanced Studies, University of MacauDiscussant: Susan Greenhalgh, Professor of Anthropology; John King and Wilma Cannon Fairbank Professor of Chinese Society, Harvard UniversityThis presentation has two intertwined goals: to highlight the significance of gender in understanding Chinese society and to underscore the role […]