The fourth International Conference on Sinology opened in Taipei June 20, with more than 1,600 people expected to attend, according to conference host Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s top research institution.
“Taiwan is the perfect host for this interdisciplinary gathering, given the way it has inherited and enriched Chinese culture, and the important role it has played in Sinological research,” ROC Vice President Wu Den-yih said in his opening remarks.
“We trust the conference will help promote both Chinese culture and Sinology.”
Wang Fan-sen, vice president of Academia Sinica, said, “Since our last event in 2000, big changes have taken place in the field, including its scale, themes and methodology.”
The conference is designed to reflect academic trends over the last decade and explore new horizons for studies on things Chinese, he said.
Academia Sinica held the first international conference on Sinology in 1980, followed by two others in 1986 and 2000.
Interdisciplinary methodology is being emphasized this year, with topics for discussion including “Medicine, Body and Hygiene,” “Urban Culture and Life in Late Imperial China,” “Making and Representing Gender in Modern China” and “The Activities and Commercial Heritage of Modern Taiwanese Merchants in Southern Fujian.”
Scholars from Asia, Europe and North America have joined local scholars to present a total of 289 papers, with 70 given by younger scholars, the organizer said. The conference will run till June 22.
June Tsai
Taiwan Today