In the long history of China, the wisdom of ancient Chinese accumulated and gave birth to numerous works of classic value. From The Four Books and The Five Classics of Confucianism, Laozi and Zhuangzi of Taoism to Sunzi and Hanfeizi of Pre-Qin Ages and later The Four Books of History and Buddhist classics, examples can hardly be enumerated. Literary masterpieces also abound. Han and Wei essays, Tang and Song poetry, Yuan drama and Ming legends, ranging wide in form and content, reflect the cultural diversity of each past era. On the other hand, The Classic of Tea, Eight Pieces on Observing the Fundamental Principles of Life (Zunsheng Bajian), Treatise on Extra Things (Changwuzhi), The Garden Treatise (Yuanye) and other classics that seek to deal with the aesthetics of life have revealed the multidimensional nature of the knowledge structures and ideology networks of Chinese culture.。

Speaker Profile

        Prof. Pei-kai Cheng, graduated from National Taiwan University in Western Literature, Yale Ph.D in history, taught at State University of New York, Yale, and Pace University for 20 years before founding and serving as director of Chinese Civilization Center at City University of Hong Kong in 1998 until 2013. Since then he has been a visiting professor at Zhejiang University and University Professor at Fengjia University in Taiwan. Awarded Merit of Honor by Hong Kong government in 2016, he is now Chairman of Hong Kong Intangible Cultural Heritage Consultation Committee.

        He has published more than 30 books, and edited various series of collections on Chinese history and culture.  His research interests cover a wide spectrum of academic subjects on Chinese culture, such as late Ming culture and Tang Xianzu, transcultural aesthetics, tea culture, Chinese export porcelain, and English translation of Chinese classics. He is also the founder and Editor-in-chief of Chinese Culture Quarterly since 1986.

Topic: Diversity and Dimensions of Chinese Culture

Speaker: Prof. Pei-kai Cheng

Date: Wednesday, Oct 23, 2019

Time: 4:00pm-5:15pm

Venue: Administration Building W201

Language: Chinese