Campus Digest

HKBU co-organises International Conference on Chinese Bamboo and Silk Manuscripts 2024

Wednesday, 27 November 2024

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The guests of the “International Conference on Chinese Bamboo and Silk Manuscripts 2024: Bamboo Slips, Writings on Silk, Classical Texts, and Early Chinese History”.
(From left) Professor Edward L. Shaughnessy, Professor Chen Zhi, and Professor Chen Wei.

 

Co-organised by the Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology, the Center of Bamboo and Silk Manuscripts of Wuhan University, and the Creel Center for Chinese Paleography of the University of Chicago, the “International Conference on Chinese Bamboo and Silk Manuscripts 2024: Bamboo Slips, Writings on Silk, Classical Texts, and Early Chinese History” was held at HKBU on 26 and 27 October.

The conference aimed to explore the significance of bamboo and silk manuscript studies in the interpretation of classical texts and the reconstruction of ancient history, gathering scholars specialising in bamboo and silk manuscripts and ancient Chinese characters from the Mainland, Hong Kong, and around the world.

In his opening address, Professor Chen Zhi, President of Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College and Director of the Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology, shared how the discoveries of bamboo and silk manuscripts have significantly advanced the research of classic and civilisations from the Pre-Qin and Qin-Han periods. These findings have uncovered profound insights into ancient thought and societal norms, fostering a deeper comprehensive of ancient Chinese history.

Professor Chen Wei, Director of the Center of Bamboo and Silk Manuscripts at Wuhan University, said that research methods and perspectives in this field are continually evolving, and hoped that this conference would inspire new research directions, foster innovative academic achievements, and facilitate more opportunities for scholarly exchange among scholars worldwide.

Professor Edward L. Shaughnessy, the Lorraine J. and Herrlee G. Creel Distinguished Service Professor in Early Chinese Studies at the University of Chicago, noted that the conference has not only facilitated profound exchanges across regions and disciplines but has also driven significant advancements in the field. With the involvement of Professor Chen Zhi and the Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology, the conference has grown in scale and influence each year, solidifying its position as a crucial platform for international exchange in bamboo and silk manuscript studies.

The conference was divided into eight panels, where 44 scholars deliberated on topics including the Warring States bamboo manuscripts represented by the Tsinghua bamboo slips, official and burial documents originating from the Chu region, legal documents unearthed from the Qin, Han and Jin periods, and specific issues in Qin and Han daybooks and the Northwest Han bamboo manuscripts.