Topic: The Discovery and Preliminary Authentication of Warring States Period Bamboo Slips Acquired by Shanghai Museum and Tsinghua University

Speaker: Professor CHEUNG Kwong Yue

Date: Monday, 4th March 2024

Time: 4:00 p.m. -5:30 p.m.

Venue: Administration Building W201

Language: Chinese

Abstract:

Over a span of fifteen years spanning into the new millennium (1994-2008), the speaker had the fortunate opportunity to examine national treasures of Chu and Qin bamboo slips (including those from the Shanghai Museum, Yuelu Academy, and Tsinghua University) firsthand, pioneering the appreciation of texts unseen by predecessors. The 20th and 21st centuries witnessed two monumental academic events: the acquisition of Chu bamboo slips by the Shanghai Museum and the collection of Chu bamboo slips by Tsinghua University. The discovery of the former necessitated a rewriting of the history of pre-Qin scholarship, while the content of the latter provided substantial and rich material for it. They hold immeasurable value for paleography, classical texts, and studies on the history of ideas, elevating the study of bamboo-and-silk manuscripts to a prominent academic discipline.

As opinions vary regarding the two bamboo slips, the lecture invites the examiner for elucidation and to share the experience as preliminary identifiers alongside the nuances of bitterness and sweetness encountered. Describing the Chu slips, the speaker notes, “With a delicate touch reminiscent of leaf buds, the pristine silk knots and grooves, and the genuine calligraphy, one can sense the emotions lingering for millennia, as if transported to the very era through these treasures passed down from the Chu state. Holding the slips while exploring the entrancing manuscripts, one often finds himself captured by the ink, permeating the room with its fragrance.” Upon reading the depiction, one can envision the inspirational aspiration to inhabit that moment truly.

Speaker:

Prof. CHEUNG Kwong Yue has held esteemed positions throughout his academic career. He served as the Professor of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Member of the Consultation Committee of Academic Affairs at the Institute of History and Philology of Academia Sinica in Taiwan, and International Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States. Presently, he occupies several significant roles, including Head and Chair Professor of the Department of Chinese at The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, Director of the Tin Ka Ping Institute for Chinese Language and Culture, Honorary Professor at Tsinghua University, Adjunct Professor of the Institute of Chinese Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Professor of the School of History at Beijing Normal University, and a member of the Academic Committee of the Collaborative Innovation Center of Unearthed Documents and Ancient Chinese Civilization Studies.

Prof. Cheung specializes in Chinese Etymology, Chinese Paleographic sources, Ancient Chinese texts, and identification of genuine and fake Ancient Chinese Bronzes (Shang and Zhou dynasties) and Bamboo manuscripts (Chu state during the Warring States period).