Campus Digest

HKBU’s book launch celebrates birthday of master sinologist

Tuesday, 31 October 2023

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Professor William H. Nienhauser attends the book launch for Festschrift for the Eightieth Birthday of Professor Nienhauser organised by the Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology.
Professor Chen Zhi (2nd right) and multiple guests make a toast to Professor Nienhauser’s (3rd right) for his 80th birthday.
Professor Chen Zhi (right) and Professor Xu Xingwu (left) jointly write the longevity couplets, “As the wine cup was called the companion of the Immortal Poet, so too were you to the essays of the Grand Historian”, to convey their admiration for Professor Nienhauser.

 

Sponsored by the Hung Hin Shiu Charitable Foundation, the Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology has invited Professor William H. Nienhauser, a renowned master sinologist, to visit the University for two weeks in October as a Visiting Fellow of the Institute of Creativity. The Academy organised a book launch for Festschrift for the Eightieth Birthday of Professor Nienhauser on 13 October. The event also celebrated Professor Hienhauser’s 80th birthday.

A recipient of the Lifetime Research Prize from the Humboldt Foundation, Professor Nienhauser’s expertise covers multiple fields ranging from translation and research on The Grand Scribe's Records, research in poetic songs and legends of the Tang dynasty, to research in ancient novels. During his visit at HKBU, Professor Nienhauser delivered two public lectures and two translation workshops.

Festschrift for the Eightieth Birthday of Professor Nienhauser is jointly edited by Professor Chen Zhi, Director of the Academy, and Professor Xu Xingwu, Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences of Nanjing University, and compiled by the Academy and the School of Liberal Arts of Nanjing University. It contains 21 essays written by Professor Nienhauser’s former students, colleagues and friends who have been inspired by the scope of his scholarly influence. The book reviews Professor Nienhauser’s academic career and achievements. It also demonstrates his significant stature and extraordinary influence in classical literary studies.

In his address, Professor Chen Zhi reminisced about  meeting Professor Nienhauser when he first arrived in the US 30 years ago, highlighting  Professor Nienhauser’s tireless dedication to the academic field over the years. Professor Nienhauser in turn expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the staunch support and blessings from all the guests. He also shared his academic journey in the past decades and his deep affection for Chinese literature.