Lecture Series

Books, Scholars, Tradition, and Society: Learning and Studying in Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD)

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Song China was a unique time in China’s history. It witnessed spectacular developments in philosophy, literature, education, urbanization, commerce, government, and sciences and technology. However, national crises abounded, too. Humiliating encounters with its neighbors both literally and figuratively dwarfed this otherwise cultural giant. Scholars took upon themselves the responsibility of upkeeping and safeguarding the culture … Read more

Chinatowns Beyond New York City

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According to the latest data, there are two million three hundred thousand Chinese Americans in the United States. They reside in all over the 50 states, ranging from 1549 in Alaska to 914,033 in California, and Chinatowns have been here with formed in many states.

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The Changing Communist Party and the Rise of China

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China’s domestic political arrangements often fuel misgivings about the rise of China in the West. While liberals are optimistic about the effects of China’s economic change on long-term political liberalization, realists remain skeptical of China’s illiberal political institutions and see aggressive deterrence as the best strategy to confront an ascending China. Central to the perception … Read more

The Ten Classics of Ancient Chinese Mathematics: Adversarial or Authoritarian?

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In 1996 Sir Geoffrey Lloyd published a comparative study of ancient science east and west: Adversaries and Authorities. Investigations into Ancient Greek and Chinese Science. In this book he argues that Greek science was successful by virtue of its adversarial nature, whereas Chinese science was better described as authoritarian in character.  But to what extent … Read more

Language Difference and Way of Thinking

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An efficient way to teach a foreign language, especially to adults, is to compare it to their native language. A study of the linguistic differences between them will help locate the difficulties in the learning process, thus increasing the predictability and purposefulness in teaching. This contrastive analysis is also the basis for translation studies and … Read more

Hunting Chinggis Khan’s Skull and Soul: Inner Asian Frontiers of Historical Ideology and Racial Imaginations

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Since the early 20th century, Chinggis Khan has become an object of desire and repulsion to many nations and individuals in the world. He has been identified by the Japanese as the 13th-century tragic hero Minamoto Yoshitsune, and recognized by the Chinese as ‘the only Chinese who has ever defeated the Europeans’. His virtue and … Read more