China Seminar | 16 January 1997

China Today in Her Late-imperial Perspective

LIU Kwang-ching

Students of modern China’s transformation during the twentieth century are often struck by parallels between China at the end of the 19th century and China at the end of the 20th century. Of course, historians will not succumb to the saying that history repeats itself; but they do like to point out startling parallels of events and mindsets of different epochs. Please come for a discourse on this phenomenon by Professor Kwang-ching Liu, a noted authority in the late-imperial and modern history of China.

Professor Liu received all his degrees from Harvard University, where his collaboration with Professor John King Fairbank resulted in many key works defining the standards of Chinese historical studies. After his bachelor’s degree, K. C. Liu worked for the United Nations Secretariat as Chinese translator, while pursuing his advanced degrees. Professor Liu enjoys a distinguished career of prolific research and nurturing doctoral candidates, several generations of whom are now on the faculties of leading U. S. universities. Liu has held visiting professorships at Harvard, Yale, National Taiwan University, and the University of Hawaii, the last as John A. Burns Distinguished Professor in 1985. Currently, he offers a graduate seminar at University of California, Davis, where he became professor emeritus in 1993. Winner of numerous academic honors, Professor Liu writes principally in the economic, intellectual and social history of Late-imperial China.