Speaker: Thomas P. Kelly, Assistant Professor, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University

Description: My talk reconsiders the significance of self-inflicted book burning as a cultural phenomenon during the Ming-Qing transition by examining one of the most notorious fires of the period: Zhou Lianggong’s 周亮工 (1612–72) decision to burn his manuscripts and wooden printing blocks in 1671. This was a highly personal act of literary self-harm, one ostensibly motivated by recent career setbacks, experiences of familial loss, and deep-seated anxieties surrounding his compromised reputation as a “twice-serving minister.” The fire, however, also reflects and synthesizes much broader trends in seventeenth century Chinese textual culture, from the valorization of book burning in Neo-Confucian critiques of woodblock printing, to the political uses of auto-bibliocaustry among both loyalists and collaborators amid inter-dynastic war, to editorial tactics for evading repressive censorship campaigns under the early Qing emperors. Zhou was by no means alone among his peers in setting fire to books. Many of his teachers, friends, and collaborators enacted or at least openly contemplated similar acts of destruction. From this perspective, Zhou’s fire invites a reconsideration of self-inflicted book burning as a topic of widespread concern in seventeenth century China. Editing was under these circumstances not simply a matter of textual preservation and dissemination, but also of curation through erasure.

About Cornell Classical Chinese Colloquium

The group meets monthly during the semester to explore a variety of classical Chinese texts and styles. Other premodern texts linked to classical Chinese in Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese have also been explored. Presentations include works from the earliest times to the 20th century. Workshop sessions are led by local, national, and international scholars. Participants with any level of classical Chinese experience are welcome to attend.  

• At each session, a presenter guides the group in a reading of a classical Chinese text. Attendees discuss historical, literary, linguistic, and other aspects of the text, working together to resolve difficulties in comprehension and translation.
• No preparation is required; all texts will be distributed at the meeting.
• Refreshments will be served.