The Yu Ying-shih Lecture in History 2024/25 was held on 9 and 12 November 2024 with Professor Dorothy Ko, Professor of History at Barnard College, Columbia University, as the speaker.

In order to promote academic and cultural exchanges as well as history research, the Lecture has been organised since 2007, for which world-renowned historians are invited to visit the University to deliver a series of lectures. This year’s lectures were sponsored by the Zhilan Foundation, and co-organised with the CUHK Department of History and the Hong Kong Museum of History. All lectures were conducted both on-site and online.

The first lecture titled “The Story of the Swordsmith Couple Ganjiang-Moye and Gender Politics in Confucian Ethics” was held on 9 November at the Hong Kong Museum of History and was moderated by Professor He Xi, Associate Professor, CUHK Department of History. Professor Ko led the audience in tracing the key changes in the content and plot of the story of Ganjiang-Moye, in order to understand the shifting gender politics of Confucian ethics from the Han dynasty to the modern era.

The second lecture titled “The Commercial Ethic and Spirit of Artisans in Early Modern and Modern China” was held on 12 November at Cho Yiu Conference Hall, CUHK and was moderated by Professor David Faure, Emeritus Professor, CUHK Department of History. In this lecture, Professor Ko quoted the writings of Professor Yu Ying-shih as a starting point to explore the spirit of craftsmanship in Ancient China and its applications in a modern society.

Professor Ko brought novel perspectives to historical research in both lectures, whether it was understanding traditional texts through Affect Theory, or combining Confucianism with craftsmanship. The lectures featured innovative elements based on previous theories, which were truly inspiring and enriching.

Lecture Review:
1st Lecture 2nd Lecture