New Book Released by Prof. CHEUNG Sui Wai

Recapping the “Workshops for the Final-Year RPg Students 2024-25” held on 1 November and 8 November 2024

The “Workshops for the First Year RPg Students 2024-25” were successfully held on 1 November and 8 November 2024. The Workshops offered an interactive platform for the Department’s research postgraduate students to exchange and discuss their research findings.

Recapping the World History Seminar “Sacred Spectating in Late Antique Egypt: Monastic Painting as Spiritual Experience” on 6 November 2024

Prof. Agnieszka SZYMAŃSKA from the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Richmond was invited by the Centre for Comparative and Public History to deliver a lecture entitled “Sacred Spectating in Late Antique Egypt: Monastic Painting as Spiritual Experience” on 6 November 2024. This talk examined how monastic prayer space in late antique Egypt was designed and painted to support theōria, a Greek-inspired ritual that allowed monks to reach a mystical state of vision and immersion. Focusing on the sixth-century Red Monastery, the speaker described how its well-preserved triconch structure created an environment where sacred imagery fostered an intense spiritual atmosphere, transforming worship into a profound spiritual pilgrimage. This unique design allowed monks to engage deeply with Christian ascetic goals, such as contemplation, learning, and the memory of God. Through this analysis, Prof. SZYMAŃSKA highlighted how this Egyptian monastic space adapted classical Mediterranean elements, fostering not only individual worship but also a shared pursuit of the divine and eternal life.

Recapping the “Workshop on AI Ethics” on 8 November 2024

The Department invited Ms. Sue FUNG, the Faculty Liaison Librarian, to deliver the “Workshop on AI Ethics” to our postgraduate students. The workshop consisted of two parts: how to use AI for research and the method of using AI for publishing academic works. It ended with lively discussions, interactions and questions.

Recapping the New Book Talk “Gu Hongming’s Eccentric Chinese Odyssey” on 8 November 2024

The New Book Talk “Gu Hongming’s Eccentric Chinese Odyssey” was held on 8 November 2024.

Someone might argue that Gu Hongming (1857–1928) was one of “the most well-known exponent of Confucianism and Chinese tradition in the first two decades of the twentieth century” in the West. He is attractive to Western scholarship because of his transcultural background. In contrast to his well-received reputation in the West, Gu was marginalized in China. His contemporaries in the early twentieth century sometimes regarded him as an adamant conservative, a “reactionary” maniac. Westerners considered him as a Chinese sage defending Confuian traditions. In the talk, through a global perspective Prof. DU Chunmei deconstructed the intriguing image of Gu Hongming—possibly one the most controversial figure in modern China. Sixty participants joined the talk.

World History Seminar (2024-25)

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

Interdisciplinary Reading Group: An Interdisciplinary Perspective on Early China

Thanks for the generous sponsorship from the Research Institute for the Humanities at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, a group of postgraduate students from the Departments of History, and Chinese Language and Literature have formed a reading group on “An Interdisciplinary Perspective on Early China”. A series of reading sessions throughout the 2024-25 academic year will be held. Each session will invite scholars from around the world who are engaged in the study of Early China to share their research insights, and with communication between the members of reading group.

The details of the upcoming session are as follows:

For any inquiries, please contact the organisers, Ms. HO Wing Yan (winniehwy@link.cuhk.edu.hk) or Mr. CHENG Kui Wa (kuiwacheng@link.cuhk.edu.hk).

New Book Talk Series

For enquiry, please call 3943 8659.

MACPH Distinguished Alumni Lecture Series

All lectures will be conducted in Cantonese.

Organisers: Department of History; M.A. Programme in Comparative and Public History; The Alumni Association of Master of Arts in Comparative and Public History
Enquiry: 3943 8659

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.