WHAT: Aug 7th – A Mystery Object from the Yuan Dynasty, with Nancy Steinhardt (ONLINE)

WHEN: Wednesday, August 7th, 2024 at 8:30-9.30PM Beijing Time (Zoom)

ABOUT THE EVENT: Professor Nancy Steinhardt examines a spectacular, 29.5cm-high, 10cm-deep piece of glazed earthenware that continues to defy understanding. It has been known about since 1979 when an assistant in a cultural relics shop in Fengcheng, Jiangxi province, noticed it. A label said it had been excavated at the imperial kiln site Jingdezhen. The object appears to be a stage with performers, above a 159-character inscription, which identifies the person for whom it was made, who died in 1338. A shorter inscription on it refers to Five Valleys Granary. This talk looks at the structural and decorative details and the inscription, as well as other 14th century miniature structures, in search of an explanation for this object.

Due to the speaker's location, this event will take place later than usual: from 8.30-9.30PM Beijing Time

MORE ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Nancy S. Steinhardt is Professor of East Asian Art and Curator of Chinese Art at the University of Pennsylvania. She has broad research interests in the art and architecture of China and China's border regions, and on-going field projects in China, Korea, Japan, and Mongolia. Steinhardt is author, editor, or translator of fifteen books, the most recent being Modern Chinese Architecture: 180 Years (2024) and Yuan: Chinese Architecture in a Mongol Empire (2024). In 2019 she received the Distinguished Teacher of Art History Award from the College Art Association and the Provost's Award for Distinguished Ph. D. Teaching and Mentorship from the University of Pennsylvania.

MORE ABOUT THE MODERATOR: Adam Ensign has been an instructor in the School of Foreign Languages at Renmin University since 2016. Having earned his master's degree in linguistics from Peking University's Department of Chinese Language and Literature in 2012, he formerly taught at Beijing Language and Culture University (2013–2016) and worked as a part-time translator and editor for the Palace Museum's Department of IT, Imaging, and Digital Media (2013–2022). His personal research focuses on Manchu Bible translations of the Qing period (1644–1911).

HOW MUCH: Free for RASBJ members. RMB 50 for members of RAS branches in London, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul. RMB 100 for non-members. You may find payment by Alipay easier than by Wechat. You can also pay by credit card. Interested in becoming an RASB member? Please sign up at http://rasbj.org/membership/​

HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT: Please click "Register" or "I will attend" before Aug 5 and follow the instructions. After successful registration you'll receive a confirmation email with a link to join the event online. If you seem not to have received it, please check your spam folder.

Members of partner RAS Branches: Please register 72 hours in advance to allow time for membership verification. You'll receive three emails from us: the first confirming receipt of your registration request, the second requesting payment, and the third confirming receipt of your payment. Please check your spam folder to ensure you see all RASBJ emails.

REFUND POLICY: If RASBJ cancels the event, registrants will be refunded in full.