6.06 TS – The Reception of Byzantine Studies in China

Byzantine Studies has been present in China for about 40 years, having achieved exciting results on different aspects of the field. Not only has it acquired a full training apparatus—including cycles of studies at MA, PhD and Postdoc levels—but also has a community of around 100 scholars working in different levels of academic institutions, many of whom participate actively in the international events of Byzantine Studies. Although the earliest introduction of Byzantine Studies in China was 70 years ago (focusing on law, religion, and other aspects), its further development in China was slow, with academic discussions paying particular attention to Byzantine institutions (feudalism and economics), the archaeological findings (coins) in China (1950-60s), and with an apparent influence from the Soviet Byzantine Studies. Its official formation occurred at the beginning of 1980s with the contribution of Professor Xu Jialing and Chen Zhiqiang in publishing research works, providing courses and instructing students at their home universities. From 2010s on, more Byzantinists graduated from Chinese universities or abroad, enlarging further the scale of Byzantine studies in China. Owing to the rapid development over the past 40 years, Byzantine Studies has now become an indispensable branch of World History Studies in China, and Chinese Byzantinists not only offer courses to BA, MA, and PhD students at Chinese universities and research centers by organizing different cycles of training but also publish their work in respected journals for Byzantine Studies. The session will present a general overview of the development of Byzantine Studies in China focusing on various cases of research and explore its future in China.