Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology lecture series features prominent international scholar
Professor Lothar von Falkenhausen presents a lecture titled “The Monumentalisation of Chinese Writing and the Rise of the Art of Calligraphy” as part of the Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology lecture series.
The Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology hosted the third lecture of its 2024-25 series “Archaeology, Artifacts, and Art” on 6 January. The lecture, titled “The Monumentalisation of Chinese Writing and the Rise of the Art of Calligraphy“, was presented by Professor Lothar von Falkenhausen, a distinguished authority in Chinese archaeology and art history from the University of California, Los Angeles. The series is sponsored by the Simon Suen Foundation.
Distinguished guests attending the lecture included Dr Louis Ng Chi-wa, Director of the Hong Kong Palace Museum; Professor Josh Yiu Chun-chong, Director of the Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong; and Professor Liu Jiming, Associate Vice-President (Research Development) of HKBU. Over 100 staff members and students participated either in person or online.
In his lecture, Professor von Falkenhausen incorporated the latest archaeological discoveries to explore major transformations in the writing of characters during the pre-Qin period. Taking the expansion of Chinese calligraphy from simple pictographs as a starting point, he unveiled changes in the societal framework, ceremonial expectations, and artistic sensitivities of that era. Professor von Falkenhausen emphasised this phenomenon was closely related to the transformation of the socio-economic structure of the time and highlighted the critical role of new writing tools and technological innovations in shifting calligraphy from functional use to an art form, as well as facilitating the emergence of calligraphy as an independent art during the late Han to Six Dynasties period.
Professor Chen Zhi, Director of the Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology, said that Professor von Falkenhausen’s lecture not only enriched the understanding of the history of Chinese characters and calligraphic art but also served as a valuable inspiration for transdisciplinary research in archaeology and art history.
