Smashing statues as posthumous punishment in Imperial China
Key information
- Date
- Time
-
5:15 pm to 6:45 pm
- Venue
- SOAS Main Building
- Room
- RB01
- Event type
- Seminar
About this event
The smashing of statues has caught widespread attention in recent years, often in the context of condemning imperialism and colonialism and their enduring legacy by literally bringing down the figures of empire.
But amid these raging controversies, there has been little reference to the different meanings that the creation of statues – and their destruction – might have outside this contemporary anti-imperialist context.
In this seminar, Dr Desmond Cheung will present cases from Hangzhou during the Ming dynasty (1368 to 1644), specifically the Shrine of Yue Fei and the Feilaifeng rock sculptures at Lingyin Monastery, where the smashing of statues that occurred within very different cultural contexts might help us to think about the purpose of public statues in a new light. Smashing statues might not only concern the destruction of what one condemns, but also constitute a constructive and meaningful act, a form of posthumous punishment that contributes to public narratives of history.
Registration
This event is open to the public and free to attend; however, registration is required. This seminar is taking place on campus and will not be recorded or live-streamed.
Organiser
This event has been organised by the SOAS China Institute.
About the speaker
Desmond Cheung (BA Chinese Studies (Cambridge), MA Chinese Studies (SOAS), PhD Chinese History (University of British Columbia)) is a historian of imperial China with a focus on the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644) and Lecturer in Chinese Studies at SOAS. He is currently completing a book on the creation and meanings of the famous sites of Hangzhou during the Ming. He is also working on a second book project on the history of locust control in imperial China. His publications include articles on locust control, Ming city walls, Chinese statecraft, the history of Christianity in China, and Chinese Second World War films.
Chair
This event will be chaired by Dr Xiaoning Lu, Reader in Modern Chinese Culture and Language, SOAS University of London.
Contact
Email: sci@soas.ac.uk
