College Head Professor Sun-On Chan (right) presenting a souvenir to speaker Professor Wang Ming-ke

Professor Wang Ming-ke (right) and moderator Professor Lam Weng-cheong at the first lecture

Professor Wang Ming-ke (right) and moderator Professor He Xi at the second lecture

The Yu Ying shih Lecture in History 2025/26 was successfully held on 15 and 17 November 2025. The two lectures were delivered by Professor Wang Ming ke, Guest Chair Professor of History at Peking University, and Academician of Academia Sinica.

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 College to deliver a series of lectures. The Lecture is endowed 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 “A New Perspective on the Origins of Chinese Civilisation: A Human-Ecological Approach” was held on 15 November at the Hong Kong Museum of History and was moderated by Professor Lam Weng-cheong, Associate Professor of the Department of History and Department of Anthropology, CUHK. Adopting an anthropo ecological framework, Professor Wang combined archaeological, anthropological and ecological methods to re examine the formation of early Chinese civilisation. He highlighted the key role of climate change and human adaptation in shaping civilisational patterns, and emphasised the need to interpret Chinese civilisation within a global ecological framework that goes beyond purely Sino centric or linear evolutionary models.

The second lecture “The Human Ecology of Civilisation and Historical Memory” took place on 17 November at Cho Yiu Conference Hall, CUHK, and was moderated by Professor He Xi, Associate Professor of the Department of History, CUHK. Drawing upon field studies and textual research, Professor Wang quoted the communities and memories of the eastern Tibetan Plateau as an example to explore how collective memories enabled early small groups to evolve into more complex and organised civilisations.

Across the two lectures, Professor Wang used “Human-Ecology” and “Historical memory” as conceptual keys to open new avenues in the study of Chinese civilisation. His reflections on methodology and epistemology encouraged historians to transcend disciplinary and regional boundaries by integrating archaeology, anthropology and ecology, thereby developing a more holistic and inclusive understanding of civilisation. His lectures were thought provoking and offered fresh insights for the study of early Chinese civilisation.

Lecture Review:
1st Lecture  2nd Lecture