Organized by the Research Programme for Lingnan Culture of the Institute of Chinese Studies, the Qing Cantonese Literati Research Project aims to reveal Lingnan literati and their mentality about world cultures around the Opium War, across disciplines in Canton studies (such as literature, politics, history, religion, translation, fine arts). With its goals to create new perspectives through the exchange and cooperation from different academic backgrounds, the Qing Cantonese Literati Research Project Presentations will be organized regularly starting from October 2020.

Professor Puk Wing Kin, Department of History, CUHK spoke on the topic “Zou Boqi (1819-1869): Life and intellectual context” and Professor Ye Jia from Department of Translation, CUHK spoke on the topic ‘“Illustrate it, describe it, and translate it”: The Cantonese Newspaper Shubao (1884-1885) and its approach to Western Learning in post-Opium-Wars context’ on 15 October 2020.

Dr. Liang Jiyon spoke on the topic “Dairies of Zuo Pei: the life in Guangdong-Hong Kong during the Late-Qing and Early Republic of China” and Dr. Chen Wenyan spoke on the topic “From Westernization to Reform: the Case Study of Li Zhaotang and Li Guolian” on 12 November 2020.

Professor Yim Chi Hung Lawrence spoke on the topic “Opium Wars and Poetry of the Late-Qing Cantonese Poet Zhang Weiping” on 10 December 2020.

Prof. Lai Chi Tim (Associate Director (Executive), Institute of Chinese Studies, CUHK) spoke on the topic “Zheng Guanying's Daoist Faith and his Essential to the Concepts of Health in China and the West” and Prof. Xu Xiaodong (Associate Director, Art Museum, CUHK), on “As both trader and literati: Pan Zhengwei before and after the Opium War” on 21 January 2021.