BA (CUHK), M.St., D.Phil. (Oxon)
Department Chairman; Professor, Department of History, CUHK;
Director, Centre for Chinese History, CUHK;
Director, Centre for Comparative and Public History, CUHK
Room 122, 1/F, Fung King Hey Building, CUHK, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong
(852) 3943 7115
swcheung@cuhk.edu.hk
The history of mankind is deeply intertwined with human desires, which have shaped the course of civilization. My research focuses on three fundamental human desires: food, land, and money. In 2008, I published a book titled “The Price of Rice,” which shed light on China’s market development during the eighteenth century. I highlighted that the rice market, being the most crucial commodity, experienced sporadic integration at that time. Another area of my research interest is land management. In 2013, I published a book on the land history of Kowloon, and in 2017, I edited a volume titled “Colonial Administration and Land Reform in East Asia.” I firmly believe that the introduction of Western property law of succession and the utilization of triangulation in land surveys significantly bolstered state power over landlords. Consequently, these developments brought about a restructuring of the social fabric in various parts of Asia. Lastly, my research delves into the realm of money. In 2024, I published a book titled “Copper Coins and the Emperor’s Wallet,” which presents a revealing history of Ming China. In this work, I argue that the breakdown of the household system necessitated the creation of new sources of income to sustain the emperor’s domain in Beijing. By examining the role of copper coins, I shed light on the economic strategies employed during that era. Through my research, I aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of how these three basic human desires—food, money, and land—have influenced historical developments and shaped societies across different periods.
- Food History
- Money History
- Land History
Books
- 2024. 《何止工程：工程拓展二十年（2004-2024）》，香港：中華書局。
- 2024. 《想吃好的：明清中國的稻米種植和消費》，北京：北京師範大學出版社。
- 2024. 《活著的祖宗：九龍中部的舊村、祖堂和祖墳》，香港：中華書局。
- 2024. Copper Coins and the Emperor’s Wallet: The Role of Currency in Ming China, Boston, Massachusetts: Brill.
- 2017. Colonial Administration and Land Reform in East Asia, Oxon: Routledge. (edited by Sui-Wai Cheung with an introduction and two chapters)
- 2013. 《拆村：消逝的九龍村落》, 香港：三聯書店。
- 2008. The Price of Rice: Market Integration in Eighteenth-Century China, Washington: Center for East Asian Studies, Western Washington University.
| Year | Research Project |
|---|---|
| 2022-2024 | “Whose Land? Owning, Selling, and Leasing Houses in an Imperial City: Guangzhou Prefecture in the Qing Dynasty” General Research Fund Project (Research Grants Council) |
| 2018-2020 | Principal Investigator, “Juggling Money: Tribute-grain Riots in the Qing Dynasty” General Research Fund Project (Research Grants Council) |
| 2017-2018 | Principal Investigator, “Navigation Technology and Changes of Trading Networks in the Seas of Asia from Sixteenth to Nineteenth Century” France/Hong Kong Joint Research Scheme (Research Grants Council) |
| 2013-2015 | Principal Investigator, “Debased Copper Coin Circulation and Monetary Policy in the Late Ming, 1500-1644” General Research Fund Project (Research Grants Council) |
| 2013-2017 | Co-investigator, “The Historical Anthropology of Chinese Society” Areas of Excellence (University Grants Committee) |
- Member, Antiquities Advisory Board, since 2023
- Vice Chairman, Teaching Guidance Committee for Undergraduate History Programme in Guangdong Province, 2019-23
- Received a Research Excellent Award, CUHK, 2012-13
- Awarded the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange Dissertation Fellowship in 1998
