Searching for China in the Archives

an RASBJ panel discussion
Saturday December 6th 2:30-4:30 p.m.

The Royal Asiatic Society China, Beijing invites you to a December 6th panel discussion on how hidden nuggets of information about China are revealed through archival research, enriching our understanding of Chinese society today. Panelists include Beijing historian and architectural heritage expert Wang Lanshun who authored a book on traditional courtyard homes; Beijing Postcards co-founder Lars Ulrik Thom, who’ll discuss how Beijing archives have helped enliven his walking tours of old Beijing; and Marie-Anne Souloumiac who was inspired by diary material and archival films to promote the legacy of her late grand-father, the legendary Dutch author, diplomat and Sinologist Robert van Gulik. Ms. Souloumiac recently attended the opening of a permanent exhibition in Chongqing’s Three Gorges Museum dedicated to van Gulik, who wrote the famous Judge Dee detective stories based on the life of a Tang Dynasty Chinese magistrate.
Newsweek’s Beijing Bureau Chief Melinda Liu will moderate the talk.

WHEN: Saturday, December 6th, 2:30-4:30 PM
WHERE: The Courtyard Institute, No.28 Zhong Lao Hutong, Dongcheng District, Beijing. 活动地址：北京市东城区中老胡同28号
MAP: http://www.courtyardinstitute.net/?page_id=360&lang=en

HOW MUCH: 30 RMB for members; 60 RMB for all others.

IF YOU HAVEN’T YET RENEWED MEMBERSHIP, NOW’S YOUR CHANCE!
RENEW AT THIS EVENT AND ENJOY MEMBERS’ RATES.

RSVP: email [email protected] before December 4th, and let us know how many seats to reserve; space may be limited.

Thanks to the Courtyard Institute for providing this venue.

ABOUT THE PANELISTS:

Lars Ulrik Thom is co-founder of Beijing Postcards www.bjpostcards.com which has collected archival photographs, prints and maps depicting China’s bygone eras; it aims to create interesting and well-researched historical narratives about Beijing that are accessible to non-academic audiences. Lars will discuss his team’s research both in China and abroad for use in his talks and walking tours of old Beijing; nuggets of knowledge hidden in the archives of the National Library in Beijing; and challenges facing Western researchers trying to find Chinese archival material and make it widely accessible.Marie-Anne Souloumiac is a Shanghai-based design professional and founder of Dee Projects, an international organization which promotes Judge Dee, the protagonist of her grandfather Robert van Gulik’s detective stories, as a source of knowledge, inspiration and creativity in China today. Marie-Anne will talk about her personal visual project “The Last Mandarin”, a journey through the life of Van Gulik’s Chinese wife Shui Shifang, and about how family archives inspired her to come to China to promote her grandfather’s legacy. Van Gulik (1910-1967) is known as one of the most original and creative Sinologists of the 20th century, distinguishing himself by his early interest in subjects still beyond the traditional horizons of the academic world. The general public knows him as the author of the famous ‘Judge Dee’ detective novels. Among scholars he is best known for his groundbreaking work on the history of sexuality in China.

Event registration closed.

Searching for China in the Archives, a Panel Discussion