England, China, and History: Upcoming Event
Announcing a new event! In July, TBC will be hosting Dr. Liu Xin as she presents on her latest book, “Anglo-Chinese Encounters Before the Opium War: A Tale of Two Empires over Two Centuries.” Read below to find out more!
Two Empires, Two Centuries: A Book Talk by the author Liu Xin
Date: Friday, July 28, 2023
Time: 2:00pm – 4:00 pm
Cost: Free
Language: Chinese, with English slides
Address: Ningyuan Building 4F, University of International Business and Economics, No. 10 Huixindongjie, Chaoyang District, Beijing
北京市朝阳区惠新东街10号对外经济贸易大学宁远楼4层441间
Join The Beijing Center on a fascinating deep dive into Anglo-Chinese relations in the past. Dr. Liu Xin will be presenting information from her book, Anglo-Chinese Encounters Before the Opium War: A Tale of Two Empires over Two Centuries, and then be available for a Q&A session. A tour of The Beijing Center’s Anton Library for Chinese Studies, one of the largest collections of English-language Chinese-focused books in China that also houses rare books and cultural artifacts, will also be part of the event.
As representatives of farming and maritime civilizations, the exchanges and collisions between the two ancient empires in the past few centuries have left us a great deal of cultural heritage and precious wealth. This lecture focuses on the first letter written by Queen Elizabeth I to the Ming Dynasty Wanli Emperor in 1583. In the two centuries leading up to Palmerston’s letter to China’s prime minister in 1840, little-known stories between the two empires have been told, and new perspectives and historical documents have been used to restore some of the long-buried historical events.
Anglo-Chinese Encounters Before the Opium War: A Tale of Two Empires over Two Centuries was published in 2022 by Routledge. By comparing Chinese and British portraits, porcelain, tea, architecture, gardens, gifts, letters, etc., the author draws a mirror image of the two empires from imagination to understanding in the 17th to 19th centuries. From misunderstanding to collision, from communication and learning to self-understanding, this book interprets the evolution of the relationship between China and Britain in their respective eyes as the other and the other side, and the cultural reflection of looking back at the other side after arriving at the other side.
Dr. Liu has taught in China and Britain for 15 years each, and received her PhD in China’s Cultural Diplomacy from the University of Central Lancashire. Her research interests are multidisciplinary, including but not limited to public diplomacy, cultural studies, media and communication, and China’s relations with the West. She has been published in multiple journals such as Journal of Contemporary China and Asia Studies Review, and her previous book China’s Cultural Diplomacy: A Great Leap Outward? was published by Routledge in 2019.
Register for the lecture by submitting the form here. For questions, message us on WeChat or email us at [email protected].
