The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) was envisaged as “a two-arched bridge between the past and the present, the East and the West.” While conflict arguably outweighed collaboration during the second half of the nineteenth century, the much longer span of time between the Ming and early Qing-dynasties saw an encounter between our two great traditions that took place on a much more equal-footing.

The encounter is visible in the books published in this period, which the CUHK Library has been collecting. These books highlight the most important areas of mutual interest in early China-Western relations, which to a large extent mirror the modern faculties and departments of our University. Using the Library’s growing collection of rare books, this exhibition shows how the geographical and cultural distance between China and Europe was bridged. As such, it invites visitors to consider the overlapping and connected Chinese and Western origins of many of the most dynamic areas of our modern University, from the study of China’s philosophy and earliest dynastic history, to biomedical science and mechanical engineering.

The symposium accompanies the eponymous exhibition will be held on 10 February 2023. It brings together scholars from across Hong Kong and the world to address the intellectual and cultural interactions between early modern China and Europe, 1500-1800. Please click here for more information about the symposium.

Exhibition Details:

Date:                      6 February – 20 August 2023

Venue:                   Exhibition Area, University Library, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Organisers:           The CUHK Library, Department of History and Institute of Chinese Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong