...and of course, a visit to the Palace Museum was in order. /3
10.03.2026 15:48
👍 0
🔁 0
💬 0
📌 0
...and of course, a visit to the Palace Museum was in order. /3
...and these calligraphies by Chen Duxiu 陳獨秀 in a letter to Fu Ssu-nien 傅斯年. I furthermore had the opportunity to meet or catch up with some fellow scholars... /2
Some highlights from the libraries at Academia Sinica: a book about the mysterious apocryphal writings in China (new to me, and takes me back to my dissertation), 緯史論微 (Discussing Minutiae of the Apocryphs' History)... /1
Wrapping up my brief research visit to Taipei with an obligatory visit to Elephant Mountain. Didn't see any elephants. #taiwan #skyline #taipei
In #Taiwan, cars of European brands are often decorated with #EU-style number plate frames. In this example, an old Škoda car is given a mock-plate of #Czech Republic.
And of course, the name Zhongzheng 中正 occurs in some places.
Siwei (lit. "Four cornerstones" or "four directions") refers to the "four social bonds": mores, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame (li, yi, lian, chi 禮義廉恥). (The image below shows the university sports facilities).
This is the oldest building on the campus in #Taipei, where the university relocated to in 1954 (it's out in/on the mountains of Muzha 木柵. Not very central, but close to the famous Maokong 貓空 tea-growing area). It is called Siwei 四維 building and houses cultural activities and ceremonies. /2
I had the opportunity to visit Cheng-chi University #政治大學 today (founded in 1927). I learned that the university's name (cheng-chi means "politics") refers to its beginnings as a training ground for political administrators. Thus, it had strong bonds to the #Kuomintang 國民党 at the time. /1
Everything is #AI these days...
I find that understandable, but maybe that is the idea behind it. Just speculating, though. There is a lot of human translations available paired with the Chinese texts in the Thesaurus Linguae Sericae database, but I think one needs an account first.
In the video linked, he claims that he can read classical Chinese but is less good with simplified characters (17:50). However, his pronunciation and some of the mentioned translations seem rather peculiar. And of course, the question remains if we really needed yet another #Daodejing translation...
I perceive Ctext as a specialist research tool (one I am hugely indebted to), so I never missed more comprehensive translations in the repository. I assume this step is supposed to address a non-sinologist target audience?
Happy New Year! 馬年大吉！
CFA: two 3-year postdoc positions with Merlijn Hurx at KU Leuven in architectural history: one on building technology in the Yangtze delta and one on building markets in Europe and China. The deadline for applications is 16 March 2026.
www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...
A faint harbinger of spring sunrays on the facade of the Bavarian State Library. #munich #library #research #history @lmu.de
Prix de thèse AFEC 2026 afec.hypotheses.org/11950
Rappel : le prix de thèse de l’AFEC 2026 est ouvert !
Il concerne les thèses soutenues en France en 2025, sur les mondes chinois et utilisant principalement des sources en langue chinoise.
Les dossiers devront être adressés avant le 4 mai 2026.
On this occasion, we also said farewell to the alumni of the first cohort, which included presents such as this cup, amateurishly designed by yours truly (but at least without #AI). #philology #design
Day 2 of our "Academic Retreat" on premodern #philology: more presentations, especially from #musicology (some interactive!), good food, and #castle vibes. @lmumuenchen.bsky.social #textstudies #literature #history #literature #textualstudies #PhD #Munich @uni-wuerzburg.de @fau.de
Back at Fürstenried Castle for an Academic Retreat on premodern philological practices. Our #PhD students will present their first progresses, and we will have panel discussions across academic generations and disciplines. #philology #munich @lmumuenchen.bsky.social @uni-wuerzburg.de @fau.de
Depending on the interpretation, the entire Shijing contains a lot of sex, though the more commonplace readings usually disavow "illicit" or "licentious" forms of intercourse.
...he proceeds to say that "Some were then troubled and pitied themselves for having lost their concubine or mate" (或乃困而自悔，喪其妃耦). Bit of a loose translation, perhaps, but are we seeing an early description of #lovesickness or incelitis here? #chinesehistory #Chinese #chinesedrama #love #sex
Reading the exalted "Confucian" classics, one would not expect anything raunchy. Until you come to the #Shijing, where Mao quite clearly describes moral degeneration under Duke Xuan as people "throwing themselves at each other" and indulging in promiscuity. But it gets better:..
I wrote a little report on our visit here: www.en.idk-philologie.uni-muenchen.de/aktuelles/an...
As part of our intro seminar, we arranged a guided tour through the State Museum of #Egyptian Art in #Munich. Prof. Stadler of @uni-wuerzburg.de guided us through a plethora of writings on stone, papyrus, and plaster, showcasing the ubiquity of #philology in ancient Egypt. @lmumuenchen.bsky.social
Cover of my dissertation
Handed in my #dissertation on Making #Revenge Great Again. Looking forward to the defense in March and the comments I’ll get. I‘m really excited for my next steps and some more explorations into Gongyang #Confucianism #公羊學 and #ChinesePhilosophy
Congratulations! This is going to be a publication to keep eyes out for.
/4 The #Greek vessels thus apparently were mostly commercial prestige goods. Writing seems to have been used more for ceremonial purposes in ancient cultures, e.g. in bronzes from early #China or vessels from ancient #Egypt. The State Collection of Antiquities goes back to king Ludwig of #Bavaria.
/3 ...in case the elaborate iconography did not give away their identity. The names are written in different directions, to guide the observer to the figure in question. Later on, there were also maker's marks, with one artist even boasting the particular quality of his work!
Interestingly, the written word played a relatively minor role on Greek vessels, presumably because the artists often did not know how to write. As a result, writing was often applied ex post. Most writings identify the depicted figures (gods, heroes, etc.)...