Source: Office of Social Sciences and Humanities
Written by: Institute for the Study of Lingnan Culture, Sun Yat-sen University
Translated by: Zhang Saijia

From November 20 to 21, the release ceremony of the first batch of A Series of Xiqiao’s Historical and Cultural Documents (hereinafter referred to as Series) jointly compiled by SYSU and Xiqiao Town and the symposium on theory and methodology of regional cultural resources collation and research were held in Xiqiao Town, Nanhai District, Foshan. The event was cosponsored by Sun Yat-sen University, People’s Government of Nanhai District and Guangxi Normal University Press, and undertaken by the Institute for the Study of Lingnan Culture at SYSU. Prof. CHEN Chunsheng, Executive Deputy Secretary and Vice President of SYSU, Prof. LI Ping, Deputy Secretary of SYSU, Prof. Takeshi Hamashita, Dean of School of Asian-Pacific Studies, Prof. LIU Zhiwei, Executive Vice Dean of School of Asian-Pacific Studies, Prof. CHENG Meibao, Vice Dean of Liberal Arts College, Prof. WEN Chunlai, Chief Editor of the Series and Executive Dean of the Institute for the Study of Lingnan Culture, Prof. HUANG Guoxin, Associate Editor of the Series and Deputy Director of Department of History, Prof. ZHAO Shiyu of Peking University, Prof. HE Linxia, Director of Guangxi Normal University Press, and LIANG Yaobin, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Nanhai District Committee and Secretary of Xiqiao Town, were in attendance at the ceremony. And more than 60 scholars from Peking University, Fudan University, Nankai University, Wuhan University, East China Normal University, Xiamen University, Zhejiang University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan and other famous research institutes and universities in Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, and Taiwan took part in the ceremony.

The release ceremony of the first batch of the Series on the morning of November 20 was presided over by Prof. LIU Zhiwei with speeches delivered by Prof. LI Ping, Deputy Secretary of SYSU, LIANG Yaobin, Standing Committee Member, Prof. WEN Chunlai, Prof. HE Linxia, Prof. ZHAO Shiyu, Prof. Takeshi Hamashita, and Prof. CHENG Meibao. After the ceremony, scholars had six symposiums and twelve group discussions centering on the topic of "Theory and Methodology of Regional Cultural Resources Collation and Research” on the afternoon of November 20 and the morning of November 21.

The Institute for the Study of Lingnan Culture is in charge of the Series which is an important joint cultural project of SYSU and the government of Xiqiao Town. Based on the three types of historical documents (documents, archives and papers written by elites which are traditionally classified as Confucian classics, historical records, Philosophical writings and miscellaneous works; and genealogy, covenant, tablet, religious ritual documents and other local documents), tangible cultural heritage (such as archaeological sites, ancient villages, ancient buildings, cultural relics and so on), and intangible cultural heritage (such as traditional Chinese opera, legends, ballads, proverbs, folk-custom, oral history of representatives, beliefs, rituals, production technology and so on), the editors invite experts in history, anthropology, folklore, ancient architecture and archaeology to explore, arrange and present a full and systematic history and culture of Xiqiao Town, and finally edit a set of large-scale series covering about 300 books. Experts and scholars have reached a shared understanding that just like the production of the Series, persistence of good taste and academic principles, as well as the rounded and systematic exploration, salvage and collation of the traditional cultural resources of a certain region have established a example for the whole nation to follow. The Series will promote the academic accumulation and become a precious material storage for future studies, not only truly reflecting the cultural depth and taste of a region but also laying solid foundation for the development of relevant cultural industries.

There are 11 types of the first batch of the Series with a total number of more than 7,000 volumes, namely History of Xiqiao Mountain (《西樵山志》), Travel in Xiqiao (《西樵游覽記》), History of Baiyundong of Xiqiao (《西樵白云洞志》), Qingfen Ji (《清芬集》), Shenchengtang Ji (《慎誠堂集》), Hairitang Ji (《海日堂集》), The Beacon of the Civilization of Pearl River - Cultural Relics of Xiqiao Mountain in Nanhai District (《珠江文明的燈塔——南海西樵山古遺址》), Collection of Papers of International Academic Symposium on “Xiqiao Culture from the Perspective of Chinese Civilization” (《“中華文明視野下的西樵文化”國際學術研討會論文集》), From "Famous Mountain of Neo-Confucianism” to “Xiqiao Mountain of Literary Composition” - The Study of Historical Changes of Xiqiao Mountain in the 16th Century (《從“理學名山”到“文翰樵山”——16世紀西樵山歷史變遷研究》), Travel in Xiqiao with Ancestors –Time Travel in Xiqiao Mountain for 500 Years (《跟隨古人游西樵——五百年西樵山穿越之旅》) and Jin Ou Song Tang, the Southern Ancient Village (《南國古村 金甌松塘》). It is predicted that the first batch of the Series will hit the shelves in all bookstores and will also be available on the internet. Another 7 kinds will be launched within the year: A Manuscript about Discussions on Education of Mr. CHEN Zibao (《陳子褒先生教育遺議》), Collections in Memory of HUANG Feihong (《黃飛鴻紀念集》), Empathic Art: Primary Exploration of Chinese Sculpture (《移情的藝術——中國雕塑初探》), Approaching to Zishunü of Xiqiao (《走近西樵自梳女》), The Language of Silk: Oral History of Silk Industry of Xiqiao (《絲語——西樵蠶絲業口述史》), Oral History of Xiqiao’s Wulin (《西樵武林口述史》), and Xiqiao’s Tianhou Belief and Local Society (《西樵天后信仰與地方社會》).

More than 10 media both in and out of Guangdong Province, such as Guangming Daily, Chinese Social Sciences Today, Nanfang Daily, Guangzhou Daily, and Pearl River Times, attended and reported the release ceremony.