Recapping the “Chiu Chin Yin Visiting Scholar Lecture: Public Lectures by Prof. Huang Ko-Wu”

With the support of the Chiu Chin Yin Fund, Prof. HUANG Ko-Wu, Distinguished Research Fellow of Institute of Modern History of Academia Sinica and one of the most accomplished academics in the field of modern China studies, was invited by the Department to be the keynote speaker of the Public Lectures for the Chiu Chin Yin Fund Visiting Scholar. The three lectures were well received by CUHK teachers, students and the general public.

The first lecture, entitled ““Debates on “Historical Nihilism” in Contemporary China”” (當代中國有關「歷史虛無主義」的辯論) was held on 27 September 2024. Prof. HUANG analyzed the background, practical application and impact of the concept of “historical nihilism” in current social context drawing on his personal academic experiences. Prof. HUANG reviewed “Republic of China (ROC)’s popularity” in Chinese mainland over a decade ago and the cross-straits corporation in the field of ROC studies. He pointed out that scholars conducted studies in the spirit of “excavating materials and writing history jointly” and produced a series of academic research. In recent years, academic management in Chinese mainland was strengthened increasingly and effected the field of history studies. Western academic views were criticized and researchers were strictly disciplined. Those academic views which differ from mainstream were defined as “Historical Nihilism” and faced severe repression. The emergence and application of “Historical Nihilism” has led to the tendency of self-censorship among researchers in Chinese mainland and political risks in some academic fields. History studies also face a series of obstacles.

The second lecture, entitled ““Discussions on “Late Qing China” in Chinese and Foreign Scholarships”” (中外學界有關「晚清中國」的討論) was held on 2 October 2024. Prof. HUANG started with his three research interests, and then reviewed and contrasted the different views of the Chinese and foreign scholars on China in the late Qing dynasty at different times. Prof. HUANG did not give his viewpoints on the different views, but he pointed out that: history involves collective memory and national identity, and thus often becomes an extension of politics, so the battlefield of history is the battlefield of ideology; the definition of the real and the imaginary in history does not only come from historical facts and interpretations, but also involves the political standpoints; by examining and analyzing the historical facts, it is possible for us to grasp the historical truth, which can be somewhere between two creations. The truth may lie between the two sides.

The third lecture, entitled “The liberalism’s rise and fall in Hong Kong and Taiwan in the 1950s and 1960s: A Case Study of Free Man and Free China” (1950-60年代港臺自由主義興衰：以《自由人》與《自由中國》為例) was held on 4 October 2024. Prof. HUANG reviewed the interaction between liberal intellectuals in Hong Kong and Taiwan by discussing the rise and fall of two magazines Free Man and Free China during the 1950s and 1960s. Prof. HUANG thought that the establishment of these two magazines was related to the international context and political situation in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Both magazines were established by liberal intellectuals and regarded liberty, democracy and constitutionalism as core themes. However, there were also differences in specific claims and cultural background between these intellectuals. These two magazines once gained support from governments of the ROC and the United States, but drifted further apart from the ROC government and consequently faced political repression. By the end of 1950s, Free China stopped publication after Lei Chen’s arrest, and Free Man also ceased operations due to its internal organizational problem, difficulties in managing its opinions’ scope and financial challenges. The history of these two magazines reflects interaction based on similar values between liberal intellectuals in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and they also had impact on Taiwan’s democratization process.

Academic Writing Workshop 2024-25

Workshop on Research Ethics

World History Seminar (2024-25)

Organisers: Centre for Comparative and Public History, Department of History, CUHK
Enquiry: 3943 8541

Online Information Seminar for the M.A. Programme in Comparative and Public History cum Academic Talk

To be conducted in Putonghua. Please click here for online registration.
For enquiries, please call at 3943 8659.

CUHK History Day 2024

Please click here for details and online registration.
For enquiries, please call at 3943 7117.

Yu Ying-shih Lecture in History 2024/25

To enhance academic and cultural exchange, Chung Chi College, New Asia College and the Department of History of the University joined hands in 2007 to establish the “Yu Ying-shih Lecture in History”. This year, Professor Dorothy KO, Professor of History, Barnard College of Columbia University, has been invited as the guest speaker of the following two public lectures:

Participation in person or online via ZOOM is welcome.
For registration, please complete the online registration form on or before 4 November 2024.
For enquiries, please call at 3943 1585.

For teachers and students who have information to share with the Department, please email your articles in both Chinese and English to chanfiona@cuhk.edu.hk by 4:00pm every Monday.