Message from the Director

The study of humanities is an endless quest for answers during which new questions arise.

There are always questions that remain unanswered for me.

During his visit to Fudan around 1985, the American Professor Frederic Wakeman had several informal meetings with graduate students in classrooms and dorms on the then popular topics of culture and cultural history. In regard to the prevailing view of Chinese traditional culture as impeding modernization of the country, this sinologist made special reference to Great Britain , which underwent the remarkable switch from a nation of ruthless soldiers to the one of elegant and polite gentlemen. He emphasized that the culture had a great creative potential that if wisely used can even lead to the turn in the course of history. Greatly impressed by his remarks, I have been seeking in vain the answers to the questions where we shall find such a “switch”, and how we can identify and use the way to the possible fundamental change.

More recently, I have been once again reminded of Professor Wakeman’s note by Ma Yun’s (former CEO and founder of Chinese E-commerce giant Alibaba Group) resignation speech. “Chinese people today possess trust and confidence. The 24 million deals we close every day demonstrate that there is the same amount of trust in China every day.” Ma’s encouraging and emotional speech touched me greatly. His words make good sense to me, though I am not a regular visitor of this online world. This case indicates the value of trust, 24 million units of trust a day are very impressive, even though you may find the number not large enough. In fact, this issue became quite urgent in China today, as there has been rapid growth of the economy recently, but many aspects of social culture continue to decline. The re-visited notion of trust and confidence has acquired modern significance, now they are closely connected with modern business and technology in the process of construction of the present and future. I regard this constructive potential as a possible source of the “switch” that can bring along further positive changes. This creates a foundation for an optimistic view of the world, similar to that of Wakeman.

Such an optimistic view is especially needed in humanities today, when virtually nothing can resist the constantly ongoing changes. It not only inspires us for new exploration and discoveries, but also gives us a chance to enhance understanding and confidence in this world, to contribute to the creation of beauty and morals, truth and justice…

With this optimistic and persistent attitude, National Institute for Advanced Humanistic Studies (IAHS) at Fudan University has gained its reputation and became well-established in academia over the past six years. The institute has published two sets of Collection of Yanxing Literature, three “Fudan Humanities” series (Monograph Series, Conference Paper Volume Series and Lecture Series), a Series of Handbooks for Graduate Students as well as the Institute Newsletters and website which formed the general direction of its activities. There is an impressive number of topics in its research areas. For instance, “ China in the eyes of its neighbors” gives a critical review of foreign evidence that leads to the revised interpretation of China , and “Intersecting cultural history” intends to break the ordinary boundaries between disciplines in humanities. These new perspectives will surely yield more insight in the Institute’s research areas.

Moreover, the interaction with scholars and institutions during international seminars and conferences has offered great vigor to the institute. There is constant exchange of ideas and information during these discussions, the topics of which range from national identity, folk belief to maritime culture in East Asia and florescence of city life, from methodology of historical studies of Buddhism to the merging of religious studies and art history, from China’s image in Western sources to regional history in the context of global history. Besides, more than a hundred lectures and workshops took place at the Institute as a part of its academic activities. The concept of communication and cooperation that underlie the organization of these conferences and discussions greatly benefited Chinese scholars who are often still quite isolated in their studies.

To summarize this introduction, I would like to cite the works by Zhang Xuecheng, a renowned scholar of Qianlong & Jiaqing reign periods of the Qing Dynasty, who termed the essence of historical studies as “Yi, Shi and Wen” (historical interpretation, historical facts and writing about history) with “Yi” being the most important component (as recorded in his On the Study of Humanities). IHAS has been pursuing the realization of these research principles, and the recently published book by Prof. Ge Zhaoguang Dwelling Here in China is a good example of it. Or as Zhang put it, “The scholarly representation should be defined by perspective in the same way as the steel is tempered on fire.”

I am looking with hope into the Institute’s future, as the daring attempts have been made in laying down its solid foundation and paving the way. The endless quest for answers and questions is to be continued with our diligence and commitment.