• 2015-06-18

The first session of the Taiwan Lectures on Chinese Studies for 2015 was held at University of Oxford’s China Centre. Professor Lung-chih Chang from the Institute of Taiwan History at Academia Sinica, Taiwan spoke on “Digitalizing Taiwan: From Academic to Public History.”
In addition to reviewing and commenting on the modern history of historical studies in Taiwan, Prof. Chang outlined recent achievements in Taiwan’s digitization of historical records. He also introduced the multifaceted knowledge traditions of Taiwan history, including research on local histories in China, on the history of the Japanese colonial period, on regional history in Europe, American and East Asia, as well as on Taiwan society. He specifically addressed how, since the late 1980s, these four traditions established the academic foundation of Taiwan studies. That foundation has brought much growth and innovation, such as a greater organization of historical materials, more up-and-coming talent emerging, and increased internationalization of research and insights. 
Prof. Chang’s lecture was absolutely brilliant, attracting many British sinologists, scholars of Taiwan’s history, and faculty and students at Oxford. The lecture was co-hosted by Oxford, which also set up a TRCCS. Hosting this first session at Oxford is helpful in increasing visibility of research achievements and scholarly publications of Taiwan, and in promoting international scholarly exchange.