Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences and Department of History, The University of Hong Kong

Symposium on New Frontiers and Directions in Chinese History
HK Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences X HKU Department of History 
University of Hong Kong
Lecture Hall, May Hall, HKU Campus 
June 23–24, 2023 

The Symposium on New Frontiers and Directions in Chinese History 2023 is a two-day event on June 23-24, 2023, showcasing the latest research in Chinese history. Keynote speeches and discussions, convened by Professor Zhiwu Chen and Professor Guoqi Xu, will cover late imperial China, the old and new orders, Chinese business history, and conflict from within. The  symposium will conclude with a closing keynote speech on archaeological data and Chinese history. Invitees can attend exclusive lunch and dinner events, providing great networking opportunities. The symposium is co-organized by the Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (HKIHSS) and the HKU Department of History (HKU History) in partnership with the Centre for Quantitative History of HKU Business School and will take place at the historic May Hall on the HKU campus, making it a must-attend event for scholars, researchers, teachers, and students working in the field of Chinese history.

Program Rundown

June 23, 2023 (Friday) – Day 1

9:00 – 9:10     | Welcome Remarks by Zhiwu Chen (HKIHSS)

 9:10 – 9:30     | Opening Remarks by Guoqi Xu and Oscar Sanchez-Sibony (HKU History) 

 9:30 – 10:30   | Opening Keynote Speech

 The Chinese Century? The Revival and Rise of Chinese Universities by William Kirby (Harvard)

 10:30 – 11:00 | Coffee Break 

 11:00 – 12:30 | Late Imperial China

 Staging Hong Kong (Studies) in Chinese History by John D. Wong (HKIHSS)
 Translocality and the Qing Imperial Public in Jinan by Daniel Knorr (Cambridge)

13:00 – 15:00 | Lunch (By Invitation Only) 

 15:30 – 17:30 | The Old Order and The New

 Engendering Chinese History from Tianjin to Hong Kong by Elizabeth LaCouture (HKU History)
 Translating the Declaration of Independence: American Frontiers of Good Governance in the Era of Opium Wars by Kendall A. Johnson (HKU School of English)

18:00              | Dinner (By Invitation Only)

 June 24, 2023 (Saturday) - Day 2

 10:00 – 12:00 | Chinese Business History 

 A Glimpse into the 1929 Corporate Performance in the Book Industry: A Comparative Analysis of Balance Sheets of Two Companies in New York and Shanghai by Billy K. L. So (HKIHSS)
 From Huasheng to Huawei: The Origins of the Chinese Electrical and Electronics Industries Before 1937 by Ghassan Moazzin (HKIHSS and HKU History)

 12:30 – 14:30 | Lunch (By Invitation Only)

 15:00 – 17:00 | Conflict from Within

 States and Wars: China’s Long March towards Unity and its Long-Term Consequences, 750 BC – 1911 AD by Debin Ma (Oxford)

 Rethinking China under Mao by Klaus Mühlhahn (Zeppelin University)

17:00 – 18:00 | Closing Keynote Speech     
 What Can Archaeological Data Tell Us About Chinese History? by Zhiwu Chen (HKIHSS)

 18:30              | Dinner (By Invitation Only)