Speaker: Quan Gan, Lecturer of History, Rice University

Title: Invest the Gods, Praise the Lord: Royal Speeches on Temple Steles in Wuyue

Abstract: Throughout his political career, Qian Liu 錢鏐 (d. 932 CE) repeatedly petitioned the emperors in the north to grant honorific titles to powerful figures—both living and deceased, human and divine—within Wuyue. In this colloquium, I will examine two temple inscriptions commissioned by Qian Liu to commemorate the imperial bestowal of honorific titles upon two local deities: Pang Yu 龐玉, the patron god of Yuezhou 越州 (908), and the Dragon God of Hangzhou 杭州 (916).
These two steles offer valuable insight into practices of commemoration and political communication in post-Tang China. Both inscriptions are highly stylized, composed in the parallel prose form (pianwen 駢文), also known as “Four-Six Prose.” Written in Qian Liu’s first-person voice, they celebrate the political achievements of the ruler of Wuyue while foregrounding his ritual relationship with the northern emperor. Most intriguingly, both the textual content and the material form of the steles emphasize this connection. The imperial edict authorizing the bestowal of titles is not only incorporated into the inscription’s text but also visually reproduced on the stone itself.
I welcome discussion on how best to preserve the distinct registers, literary conventions, and layered voices of such inscriptions in English translation.

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.  
o    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.
o    No preparation is required; all texts will be distributed at the meeting.
o    Refreshments will be served.