On September 29, 2024, the USC U.S.-China Institute hosted a workshop at the Huntington’s Chinese garden, offering K-12 educators hands-on insights into using the garden as a teaching tool. With expert presentations, a guided tour, and new resources, the event explored how Chinese gardens' rich history and cultural significance can be integrated into classrooms. Interested in learning more? Click below for details on the workshop and upcoming programs for educators.
Fiction Reading and Commentaries in Ming/Qing China: Zhang Zhupo's 'Jinpingmei dufa' (How to Read The Plum in the Golden Vase)
UC Berkeley's Center for Chinese Studies presents a talk by Wei Shang on Zhang Zhupo's “How to Read The Plum in the Golden Vase."
Where
Wei Shang, Chinese Literature, Columbia University
Sophie Volpp, East Asian Languages and Cultures, UC Berkeley, discussant
Focusing on Zhang Zhupo’s “How to Read The Plum in the Golden Vase,” this presentation seeks to examine the traditional Chinese fiction commentary from new perspectives: (1) instead of following Zhang’s dufa as an objective guide for reading The Plum in the Golden Vase or as an indigenous source for the construction of an authentic theory of the Chinese novel, the speaker sees it primarily as an unfinished project of transforming xiaoshuo (fiction) into what is called wenzhang—a broadly defined term that refers to the genres and texts at the center of the Confucian literary tradition; (2) The speaker will also highlight dufa as a genre literarily concerned with “the methods of reading.” Taking reading practice into account in our study of fiction commentary, we will have to move beyond literary criticism, or rather, do literary criticism differently by engaging the history of the book and the history of reading.
Featured Articles
Happy Lunar New Year from the USC US-China Institute!
Events
Ying Zhu looks at new developments for Chinese and global streaming services.
David Zweig examines China's talent recruitment efforts, particularly towards those scientists and engineers who left China for further study. U.S. universities, labs and companies have long brought in talent from China. Are such people still welcome?