Category Archives: China

Ivanhoe Reviews Tsui, Affective Betrayal

P.J. Ivanhoe has published a review of Jean Tsui’s book, Affective Betrayal: Mind, Music, and Embodied Action in Late Qing China (SUNY, 2024). The review opens:

This book displays vast erudition, moves nimbly across a number of disciplines, and presents complex, interlocking arguments aimed at showing how Liang Qichao (1873-1929) presented modern political knowledge in musical and visual terms that were designed to stimulate his readers’ bodily senses and motivate them to become committed to and act on behalf of the views he advocated.

New Book: Fan, Between Shanshui and Landscape

Jiani Fan (范佳妮) has published a new book: 山水风景之间——中西诗画中的风景再现与美学 / Between Shanshui and Landscape: Toward a Comparative Aesthetics of Chinese and Western Poetry and Visual Arts (Beijing: SDX Joint Publishing Company (生活·读书·新知三联书店), April 2026).

The book focuses on Ancient Greek, Roman, Chinese, and modern French poetry and visual arts, and engages with aesthetic concepts such as Stimmung (mood/attunement), the Sublime, Ruins, and Emptiness (Vide), as well as their Chinese counterparts. A comparative journey across traditions and media.

Two Collaborative Learning (四海为学) Events This Week

Dear Colleagues,
Next week the 四海为学 Collaborative Learning Project will host two separate events:
  1. March 19th at 9:00am Beijing time: Louise Edwards speaking on “Childhood and Infancy in China” with a focus on gender issues.
    For details and the Zoom link please see our event page: https://www.sihaiweixue.org/louise-edwards-lecture
  2. March 20th at 9:30am Beijing time: Peter Hershock speaking on “AI and Agency: A Buddhist Perspective”.
    For details and the Zoom link please see our event page: https://www.sihaiweixue.org/peter-hershock-lecture

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Conference: Ethics in Chinese Philosophy

The Division of Humanities in the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is organizing the international conference, “Ethics in Chinese Philosophy,” bringing together presentations on various schools of thought within Chinese philosophy, including Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, with a focus on their distinct ethical frameworks and contributions. The conference celebrates the 35th anniversary of HKUST. It addresses how traditional Chinese ethical theories can inform and address modern challenges. Please read more or access the conference booklet for further information. Continue reading →

Book available: Qiu and Bunin eds., Collected Papers of Four Conferences on Democracy, Rule of Law, Human Rights, Good Governance

Nicholas Bunin has shared with me that a new book has just been published: Qiu Renzong and Nicholas Bunnin, eds, Collected Papers of Four Conferences on Democracy, Rule of Law, Human Rights, Good Governance 《政治哲学各论》 (Beijing, privately published, 2025). The PDF of this book is available free of charge for any students, colleagues and institutions that might benefit from using the text for research, teaching, study, review, printing paper copies or library acquisition. Please contact Professor Bunin with any questions.

 

 

 

Conference: Utopias and Their Pursuit: A Comparative Study of the East and West

Major religions and spiritual traditions articulate their own visions of utopia, and these ideals have shaped the political and social foundations of their respective civilizations. The conference Utopias and Their Pursuit: A Comparative Study of the East and West seeks to explore utopian ideals and their practical manifestations by bringing Chinese and Western thought and historical experience into dialogue. Topics include philosophical and theological accounts and critiques of utopia; policies and historical events inspired by utopian visions; and the ways utopian ideas continue to influence contemporary global discourse. Please see the conference’s full program here. The online registration link can be accessed through scanning the QR codes in these two posters.

Controversy Surrounding Tu Wei-ming’s Remarks at HK Philosophy Forum

Earlier in August, an event called the “2025 香港哲學紫剂國際論壇 / 2025 Hong Kong Bauhinia International Philosophy Forum” was held in Hong Kong. Prof. Tu Wei-ming delivered a keynote address (on-line). Since then, there has been considerable controversy about the event — which did not prominently feature any Hong Kong-born philosophers — and about Tu’s remarks, which were broadly apolitical. In particular, this critical essay by Cheung Chan Fai 張燦輝, former chair of the CUHK Philosophy Department, and Lee Shui-Chuen 李瑞全 of National Central University’s Philosophy Department (and an important contemporary Confucian voice) has received a great deal of attention.