The Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FAH) of the University of Macau (UM) held the Macao Humanities Forum, with Ge Zhaoguang, Distinguished Professor in the National Institute for Advanced Humanistic Studies and the Department of History at Fudan University, as the guest speaker. Prof Ge gave a lecture titled ‘Imagining a Universal Empire: A Study of the Illustrations of the Tributary States of the Myriad Regions Attributed to Li Gonglin’, attracting many students, faculty members, and online participants.

Joaquim Kuong, assistant dean of FAH, delivered a welcome address. Zhang Jian, associate dean of FAH, then highlighted the academic achievements of Prof Ge, noting his expertise in the fields of East Asian and Chinese studies, culture, and history of religion. Prof Ge has received many academic honours, including the inaugural China Book Award and the first prize in the 7th Wu Yuzhang Humanities and Social Sciences Award. He was also selected as one of the first group of Global Scholars at Princeton University. His lecture would enable the public to gain more insight into the study of history.

During the lecture, Prof Ge analysed the (forged) Illustrations of the Tributary States by Li Gonglin, and examined the exchange of tribute between the Northern Song dynasty and neighbouring states. He delved into the historical memory, imperial imagination, and traditional Chinese perceptions of China and the world, which are embedded in the illustrations. Prof Ge also pointed out that the actual international environment and foreign interactions in the Northern Song dynasty were remarkably different from those portrayed in the illustrations. On this basis, he emphasised the value of such forged historical materials, and suggested that they should not be dismissed outright. Forged as the illustrations are, they capture real aspects of ancient Chinese artistic traditions in depicting foreign peoples and representing the world.

During the Q&A session, UM students and faculty had in-depth discussions with Prof Ge. They asked questions about the ‘Kingdom of Women’ in the illustrations, the concept of uniformity associated with the ‘universal empire’, the political philosophy of ‘great virtue’ behind the ancient tributary system, and more. Prof Ge noted that people’s imagination grows as they learn more about other countries and cultures. Although imagination shapes one’s perceptions and attitudes, people should remain objective, impartial, and decentred in their cognitive processes.

This was the first lecture of the Macao Humanities Forum for the 2024/2025 academic year. Each year, the forum invites renowned scholars in different fields of the humanities to share their latest research findings with students and faculty members in Macao. Previous lectures of the forum have covered a wide range of subjects, including literature, linguistics, history, translation, and arts.