Lectures information:

Time	Topic	Language	Room	Speaker
2019.10.14 Monday 18:30-20:00	Modern Chinese and the Formation of Modern Literature (I)	Chinese	DB-A05	Prof. ZHANG Jie Wuhan University
2019.10.15 Tuesday 18:30-20:00	Modern Chinese and the Formation of Modern Literature (II)	Chinese	DB-A06
2019.10.16 Wednesday 18:30-20:00	Modern Chinese and the Formation of Modern Literature (III)	Chinese	DB-A06
2019.10.17 Thursday 18:30-20:00	Modern Chinese and the Formation of Modern Literature (IV)	Chinese	DB-A06
2019.10.15 Tuesday 18:30-20:00	Exploring the Song Dynasty (I): Ouyang Xiu	Chinese	DB-A05	Dr. WU Zhengqiang Associate Professor Zhejiang University
2019.10.16 Wednesday 14:00-15:30	Exploring the Song Dynasty (II): Emperor Zhenzong and Emperor Huizong	Chinese	DB-C06
2019.10.16 Wednesday 14:00-15:30	Incentive-Compatible Anti-Poverty Field Experiments	Chinese	D.H Lawrence Auditorium	Prof. GAN Li Southwestern University of Finance and Economics
2019.10.16 Wednesday 18:30-20:00	How to Excel	Chinese	D.H Lawrence Auditorium	Prof. HU Jian Director of Research Centre for Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics
2019.10.16 Wednesday 18:30-20:00	The Ingredients of a Powerful Speech	English	DB-C06	Ernest Hai Siang CHEN President of Ningbo Guild Singapore
2019.10.17 Thursday 18:30-20:00	Translating Lawrence: towards Contextualized Domestication	Chinese	DB-A05	Prof. BI Bingbin (Hei Ma) Lawrence Scholar, Writer China Media Group

 

About the Speaker:

Prof. ZHANG Jie

Professor Zhang graduated from Wuhan University with a Ph.D. in literature. He is currently a professor of Literature and a Doctoral Supervisor at Wuhan University. He is also a research fellow at the Center of Study of Traditional Culture at Wuhan University. Aside from these, he was once a visiting scholar at Trier University in Germany (1998-1999).

Research Interests:
Chinese modern and contemporary literature, ideological history of China in the twentieth century etc.

Publications:
Heteroglossia and Dialogical Criticism (Wuhan University Press, 2011; in Chinese);
The Collection of Traces of Thought (Hubei People’s Press, 2005; in Chinese);
Meditation in The Front of the 21st Century --On the Trend of Culture and Literature (Hubei People’s Press, 2000; in Chinese);
The Main Vein of Thought in the Late Qing Dynasty and the Early Republic of China (Oriental Press, 1999; in Chinese);
The Thought of Thinking--On Trend of Thought in Literature and Art in the Twentieth Century China (Wuhan University Press, 1994; in Chinese), etc.

Abstract for the lectures:

Modern Chinese is one academic term and typical when compared with classic/ancient Chinese. Having originated at the end of the 19th century, Modern Chinese took its formation during the New Culture Movement and the May Fourth Movement. It finally gained its legality and became one independent subject through institutionalization after 1949. Since Modern Chinese was produced by the Mandarin Movement, and thus was named Mandarin. The meanings and indications determined the language formation of Modern Chinese. The debates on Traditional Chinese versus Modern Chinese were embodied in the arguments of the ancient Chinese and the European languages. Both the Chinese Alphabet Movement in the 19th century and the Mandarin Movement focused on the differences between the two languages, namely their advantages and disadvantages. Once a consensus was reached, the distinctions between Traditional Chinese and Modern Chinese were not questioned any further.

In essence, the Modern Chinese literature was a by-product of the Mandarin Movement. It was also defined as the Literature of Mandarin by Hu Shi. Hu indicated that the Literature of Mandarin preceded the Mandarin of Literature. The Mandarin of Literature was indeed the modern norm of Chinese language. The development and formation of Modern Chinese literature not only opened a new chapter in the history of Chinese literature, but also prompted the institutionalization and legislation of Modern Chinese. Modern Chinese Literature was established as one subject in Chinese Literature in 1949.

This lecture intends to provide a new explication for the concepts of Modern Chinese and Modern Literature, both of which are well understood. We will pragmatically review the history of the Chinese language in the context of traditional and modern culture as well as Chinese and European conflicts and communications. Additionally, we will explore the venation of such a piece of history and discuss the causes and the paths taken, and verify the symbiotic relationship and the mutual enhancement of Modern Chinese and Modern Literature.

 

Dr. WU Zhengqiang

Doctor of Philosophy, Associate Professor, Doctoral Supervisor, Zhejiang University.

Research Areas:

Chinese social history, history of the Song Dynasty, local historical document and public history.

Publications:

Believers and Scholars: Social Historical Analysis of Inscriptions Writing in the Buddhist Temples of Wenzhou in the Song Dynasty, Journal of Xiamen University (Arts & Social Sciences),June 2017.

Vicissitude History of Cangpo Li’s Family in the Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasties ——Concurrent Discussion on the So-Called Transformation of the Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Zhejiang Social Sciences, November 2017.

A Study on the Circumstance of ‘Non-appearance after Repeated Summons Issuance’ in the late Qing Dynasty as Recorded in Longquan Judicial Files, Journal of Zhejiang University (Humanities and Social Sciences),January 2014.

The Change of the System of Deities in the Sacrifice to Heaven and the Establishment of the Sacrificial Rituals of the Jade Emperor during the Northern Song Dynasty, Historical Research, May 2011.

The Transformation of Civil Examinations and the Evolvement of Social Structure in the Tang and Song Dynasty,Sociological Studies, February 2008.

Abstract for the lectures:

After the failure of the Qingli New Deal, Ouyang Xiu was relegated to Chuzhou. He observed in The Pavilion of an Old Drunkardthat ‘The Governor’s friends rejoice with him, though they know not at what it is that he rejoices’. Ouyang Xiu was born in Jizhou, Jiangxi Province. Why did Ouyang Xiu leave his hometown and move to Yingzho, Anhui Province? After his mother passed away, Ouyang Xiu composed Epitaph of My Parents. Why did he rename it as Epitaph of Shuangang, and establish a stone monument with its inscription only after 20 years? What was he waiting for during that time? Among the eighteen emperors of the Song Dynasty, the most famous one appears to be the subjugated Emperor Huizong, while the unpopular Emperor Zhenzong actually exerted a far-reaching influence upon history. We will ask, why would that be?

 

Prof. GAN Li

Professor Gan, Dean of the Research Institute of Economics and Management Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Director of Survey and Research Centre For China Household Finance, Clifford Taylor Jr. Professor of Economics at Texas A&M University and Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, is a specialist in econometrics and applied microeconomics. He obtained Bachelor of Engineering from Tsinghua University in 1987, Master of Science in statistics and PhD in economics from the University of California, Berkeley in 1998. He has published extensively in areas such as econometric theory, economics of aging, public economics, and Chinese economy.

Research Interests:
Econometrics and applied microeconomics.

Academic achievements:

In 2006, he was invited to establish the Research Institute of Economics and Management at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in Chengdu, China. In 2009, he initiated and has been directing the China Household Finance Survey (CHFS). The ongoing survey has a nationally and provincially representative sample of more than 40,000 households. Some findings from the survey, such as income Gini coefficient, housing vacancy rates, credit accessibility, and household asset allocations are widely reported in China and around the world.

In 2017, he initiated the Higher Education Institution Alliance for Survey Research. Joined by nationally renowned academic institutions including Peking University, Zhejiang University, Beijing Normal University, Jinan University, Nanjing Audit University, Inner Mongolia University, Capital University of Economics and Business, and Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the alliance has carried out a series of investigations for the purpose of ‘joint survey’, ‘shared data’ and ‘collaborative study’, which further enriches China's micro-data.

Abstract for the lecture:

Increasing cash transfer payments to low-income groups and establishing an incentive-compatible transfer payment system are inevitable choices for China to reduce the income gap, achieve economic transformation, and overcome the middle-income trap. In this process, how to innovatively build the transfer payment system and avoid the formation of ‘welfare dependency’ for low-income households is a problem that must be faced in the future when we establish a cash transfer payment system that suits China's national conditions. I will introduce two cash transfer field experiment projects for the poor implemented by our team in the past four years. The first experimental project is the Labor Income Incentive Scheme, which provides cash incentives for labor income earned by the poor who have the ability to work. This project aims to crease income opportunities for the poor households by increasing the labor supply. The second experimental project is the Youth Education Improvement Program, which provides cash incentives for students who achieve certain learning goals to stimulate the learning motivation of students in poverty-stricken areas and improve their academic performance. This program is an attempt to block the intergenerational transmission of poverty through the promotion of human capital accumulation.

 

Prof. HU Jian

Director of Research Centre for Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, Member of Advisory Committee of Zhejiang People’s Government, Distinguished Visiting Professor of Zhejiang University and China Academy of Art, think tank expert of the Party School of Zhejiang Provincial Committee of C.P.C..

Abstract for the lecture:

Prof. Hu has long been dedicated to researches on ideological, political and cultural building, and major issues currently facing China. Concerned in the cultivation of young students and talents, he has called on the young generation to study hard and work industriously while pursuing noble ideals as well as career development. He has also highlighted the importance of self-exploration and self-cultivation in the traditional context. Focusing on ‘How to Excel’, the lecture will present an excellent speech by Prof. Hu.

 

Ernest Hai Siang CHEN

Ernest received his BA from University of Sydney, MBA from Andrews University (Berrien Springs, Michigan), and Ph.D. from Atlantic International University.

Achievements:
As a community leader, Ernest was the vice-chairman of Thomson Community Club of the Singapore until he retired in 2012. At the moment, he is the President of Ningbo Guild Singapore.

Ernest’s contribution to the community and the nation is beyond measure. Ernest was awarded the State medals: PBM (1993) and BBM (2004) and also received the Gold Star for the Constituency medal, plus PA Grand Award for his long service of 30 years.

Ernest initiated the Plain English Speaking Award – PESA, an annual public speaking contest jointly organized by MOE (Ministry of Education) and YMCA in 1996. It is the only formally organized speaking contest for students ranging from primary to tertiary levels. This event is still going strong.

Ernest is also the co-founder of World Speech Day.

Ernest is a distinguished toastmaster and still active as a member since 1983.

Abstract for the lecture:

What is a powerful speech? What is a wonderful speech? What is a perfect speech? What speech will make you feel good? These are the questions that people ask.

The lecture will talk about what make the speech powerful, wonderful, perfect or great; the purposes and message of the speech; the opening – how to hook the audience; the closing – how to make the audience remember you and the message; the body – how to support the central point.

 

Prof. BI Bingbin (under the nom de plume of Hei Ma)

M.A, Fujian Normal University, 1984;

Visiting Scholar, School of English, University of Nottingham, 2000-2001;

D. H. Lawrence Translator as Scholar; Belletrist; Senior Translator with China Media Group.

Council Member of Translators Association of China.

Research Areas:

D. H. Lawrence study and translation in the Chinese language.

Publications:

Selected Essays of D. H. Lawrence, People’s Literature Press, Beijing, 2019;

Paradise Re-entered-Selected Poems of D. H. Lawrence, People’s Literature Press, Beijing, 2018;

3 Volume set of Novels of D. H. Lawrence (The Rainbow, Women in Love and Lady Chatterley’s Lover), Zhongyangbianyi Press, Beijing, 2018;

10 Volume set of Selected Works of D. H. Lawrence (Editor and the translator of 9 of the 10), People’s Literature Press. Beijing, 2014;

Essays on D. H. Lawrence by Hei Ma, Xinxing Press, Beijing, 2012;

More titles of translation, created novels and collections of essays published before 2012.

Abstract for the lectures:

In China, translation, publication and research of the works of D. H. Lawrence stopped shortly after a short period of several years in the 1930s. It was not until the mid-1980s that Lawrence's works started to return to the Chinese book market and the academic circle. Soon, the translation and research were carried out more rapidly with the reform and opening up process in the 1990s. In this sense, Lawrence reappeared as a completely ‘new’ English writer in the Chinese context and Lawrence study in China has therefore proved to be a new and growing discipline. In this special historical stage, both the effective dissemination of Lawrence's works and Lawrence study rely on high-quality Chinese translations based on the three classic principles of ‘faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance’. However, the quality of translations leaves much to be desired.

This lecture attempts to examine the effective translation of Lawrence's works from the perspective of the original versions and contexts on which these translated texts should be based. Through the analysis of some samples, this lecture intends to reveal the dilemma of translating Lawrence and integrate the classic three principles with contextualized domestication methods, so as to achieve some break-through and improvements.