Academic Activities
Recapping the Online Conference “Bringing Together China and the West: Using Big Data and Machine Learning to Demonstrate the Extent of Chinese Cultural Influence in Renaissance Europe” on 24 January 2025
Prof. Stuart McManus held an online conference on 24 January 2025 and brought together collaborators in a Strategic Seed Funding for Collaborative Research Scheme (SSFCRS) project entitled “Bringing Together China and the West: Using Big Data and Machine Learning to Demonstrate the Extent of Chinese Cultural Influence in Renaissance Europe”. The conference discussed various themes related to East-West relations, sinology, translation, and cross-cultural analytics. The conference was divided into four panels, each focusing on different aspects of these themes. The aim was to work out a large collaborative research grant proposal and to enhance research Digital Humanities research.
Discussion Group 1: Humanism and Sinology between China and the West: The session began with presentations by James Hankins (Harvard University), Andrew Hui (Yale-NUS College), and Shoufu Yin (The University of British Columbia). The group discussed the historiographical frameworks best suited to charting changes over time in the reception of Chinese thought in the West. Key questions included the impact of China on Western missiology and the multilingual challenges of the project.
Discussion Group 2: Translation and Cross-Lingual NLP: Tim Tangherlini (UC Berkeley), Sophie Wei (CUHK), and Bin Li (Nanjing Normal University) discussed machine translation and the cross-lingual challenges of the project. The discussion focused on questions related to multilingual embeddings and the state of the art in Classical Chinese machine learning.
Discussion Group 3: Cross-Cultural Analytics: Barbara McGillivray (King’s College London), Donald Sturgeon (Durham University), and Giulia Falato (University of Parma) led this session, which addressed computational methods in humanities, the importance of open data, and the influence of historical translations. The group emphasized the need for benchmarks in cross-cultural analytics.
Discussion Group 4: Between Sinology and Cultural History: William Poole (New College, University of Oxford), Ross Moncrieff (All Souls College, University of Oxford), and Elizabetta Corsi (Sapienza University of Rome) discussed the diffusion of sinological traditions and the role of translations in shaping Western perceptions of China. The session also addressed the influence of Jesuit interpretations of Neo-Confucianism.
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Upcoming Events
Academic Seminar
| Date: | 19 February 2025 (Wednesday) |
| Time: | 4:30pm-6:00pm |
| Venue: | Auditorium B6, Ho Tim Building, CUHK (HTB B6) |
| Topic: | Wang Jingwei and the Reconstruction of History: Archives, Interpretation, and Historical Understanding |
| Speaker: | Prof. KUO Tai-chun Hoover Institution, Stanford University |
| Language: | Putonghua |
Organizer: Centre for Chinese History, Department of History, CUHK
Enquiry: 3943 8541
World History Seminar (2024-25)
| Date: | 25 February 2025 (Tuesday) |
| Time: | 5:00pm-6:30pm |
| Venue: | Conducted online via ZOOM (Webinar ID: 982 9976 4121) |
| Topic: | Non-European Perspectives on the Global Renaissance |
| Speaker: | Prof. Joan-Pau RUBIÉS Faculty of Humanities, Pompeu Fabra University |
| Language: | English |
Organizer: Centre for Comparative and Public History, Department of History, CUHK
Enquiry: 3943 8541
MACPH Distinguished Alumni Lecture Series
| Date: | 1 March 2025 (Saturday) |
| Time: | 2:30pm-4:00 pm |
| Venue: | LT4, Yasumoto International Academic Park, CUHK (YIA LT4) |
| Topic: | The History of Mong Kok |
| Speaker: | Mr. YUNG Wing Sum (11/GS/MACPH) |
| Language: | Cantonese |
Organizers: 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
Public Lectures on History and Business in China 2024-25
Public Lectures on History and Business in China 2024-25 will be held in March 2025. Professor Elisabeth KÖLL, William Payden Collegiate Chair; Department Chair and Professor of Department of History, University of Notre Dame, has been invited as the guest speaker to deliver two public lectures.
| Date: | 20 March 2025 (Thursday) |
| Time: | 5:00pm-6:30pm |
| Venue: | Cho Yiu Conference Hall G/F, University Administrative Building, CUHK |
| Moderator: | Prof. PUK Wing Kin Vice Chairman and Associate Professor Department of History, CUHK |
| Date: | 21 March 2025 (Friday) |
| Time: | 7:00pm-8:30pm |
| Venue: | Lecture Theatre G/F, Hong Kong Central Library 66 Causeway Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong |
| Moderator: | Prof. CHEUNG Sui Wai Chairman and Professor Department of History, CUHK |
Lectures will be conducted in English.
Admission is free; reservation is required. To reserve a seat, please
– Register online at www.history.cuhk.edu.hk/2025_HBC
– Call at 3943 8541
For more information, please visit www.history.cuhk.edu.hk/2025_HBC/ or www.hkpl.gov.hk
Organisers: Department of History, CUHK; Centre for Comparative and Public History, Department of History, CUHK; M.A. Programme in Comparative and Public History, Department of History, CUHK; Hong Kong Public Libraries, Leisure and Cultural Services Department
Sponsor: Eminence History Department Fund, CUHK
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.
