- Language: Mandarin Chinese
- Rm 201 May Hall & Via Zoom
- Jun 17, 2024, 12:30-13:30 (HKT)
- Jun 17, 2024, 21:30-22:30 (EDT)
ABSTRACT
The Silk Road is not merely a geographical or sociohistorical route but also, to a considerable extent, a catalyst for historical ups and downs. These crisscrossing nets stem from a more intricate “field.” Possessing a spirit of adventure, commercial acumen, and multilingual proficiency, Sogdian merchant caravans played a leading role along the Silk Road during the medieval period. Traversing east and west, they transported silk, gemstones, and spices, and established settlements of varying sizes along the Silk Road. Moreover, they served as crucial mediators connecting Eastern and Western arts, cultures, ideologies, and religions, exerting significant influence on the spread of civilizations in Central and West Asia, South Asia, and East Asia. This lecture takes a detailed image from a Northern Qi sculpture as a key and interprets the identity and life stories of a Sogdian merchant caravan, as well as the Silk Road panorama it reflects.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Senior professor at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, visiting professor at the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences at Peking University, JS Lee memorial fellow, and fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. She got her Ph.D. from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. She is also a member of the Society of Dunhuang Turpan Studies, the Committee of Dunhuang Traditional Culture and Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Society of the History of Tang, and the Society of Chinese Archaeology.
Her primary research areas include Buddhist art along the Silk Road, visual arts of the Han and Tang dynasties, material culture, history of sensation, embodied practice, and history of ideas. Serving as project leader or key research member, she has undertaken over ten domestic and international research projects. She has been published widely in journals such as Cultural Relics, Journal of the Palace Museum, Dunhuang Turpan Studies, Journal of Dunhuang Studies, and Chinese Studies in History. She delivered lectures at the University of Pennsylvania, New York University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Peking University, the Institute of Chinese Historical Studies, and the Nanjing Museum and other institutions.
ABOUT THE SERIES
This series aims to introduce a wide range of cutting-edge research in various disciplines and areas. If you have any questions about this seminar or would be interested in giving a talk, please contact Dr. Ghassan Moazzin (gmoazzin@hku.hk).
Light refreshments will be served for registered participants attending the seminar in person.
