Report on the Fifth Conference of the Tang Literature Association of China and International Symposium on Tang Literature; Nanjing, Nov. 21–25, 1990

Tang Studies 8-9 (1990-91) Report on the Fifth Conference of the Tang Literature Association of China and International Symposium on Tang Literature; Nanjing, Nov. 21-25,1990 SUSAN CHERNIACK SMITH COLLEGE Sponsors: The Tang Literature Association of China, Nanjing, U., Nanjing Normal U., Suzhou U. Host institution: Nanjing U. Liaison: Mo Lifeng (Nanjing U.) Conference participants: 61PCR, 13 Taiwan, 2 Hong Kong, 10Japan, 2 South Korea, 3 U.S. (Susan Cherniack, Joseph J. Lee, William H . Nienhauser, Jr.) CONFERENCE SCHEDULE: Nov. 21 A.M.: Opening ceremony, P.M.: First paper session; welcoming banquet Nov. 22 A.M. and P.M.: Group discussion of papers; kunqu performance by the Jiangsu Provincial Kunqu Troupe Nov. 23: Tour of Yangzhou Nov. 24 A.M.: Second paper session; P.M.: Tour of Nanjing; documentary videos, "Du Fu in Qinzhou" and "Du Fu in Longnan" (Producer: Lin Jiaying, Lanzhou U.) Nov. 25 A.M.: Third paper session; P.M.: Closing ceremony, tour of Nanjing U. Library; farewell banquet The fifth, biennial meeting of the Tang Literature Association was the setting for a major international conference on Tang Literature attended by 61 PCR and 30 foreign scholars. The conference was well organized and succeeded in providing a useful forum for scholarly exchanges among scholar of widely different backgrounds and research interests. The conference schedule provided participants 113 Cherniack: International Symposium on Tang Literature with ample opportunity to present and discuss papers in plenary and group sessions, and informal evening get-togethers, which were encouraged by the congenial atmosphere of the conference week. Copies of most of the papers were distributed to participants upon arrival. (Consult the list following this report. Photocopies may be ordered by Tang Studies Society members.) The program committee selected papers to be read that were felt to have general appeal or to offer new and important insights. Unlike previous conferences I have attended in China, many of the scholars who were asked to present papers chose not to read from prepared texts, but to summarize or amplify major points instead. During the second and third paper sessions, presenters also took questions from the floor following their reports. The conference was clearly intended to be a showcase for younger (middle-aged and under) and foreign talent. Though senior scholars in the field were in full attendance, they played a restrained role in the formal proceedings, offering comments on reports and making themselves available for informal after-hours consultations. At the conference, the T'ang Studies Society entered into scholarly exchange agreements with the Tang Literature Association of China and the T'ang Studies Society of Taiwan. The agreements call for 1) regular exchange of publications of each society, 2) notification of scholarly conferences, and 3) exchange of annual reports on research . The opening session of the conference was convened on Nov. 21 by Zhou Xunchu (Nanjing U.). He introduced a series of distinguished speakers including Cheng Qianfan (Nanjing U., President of the Tang Literature Association), who emerged from his hospital bed to deliver the keynote address emphasizing the importance of internationalizing research on Tang literature. Huo Songlin (Shaanxi Normal U.) delivered a report on the history of the Tang Literature Association since its inception in 1982. The Tang Literature Association is a private, scholarly society whose sole purpose is to foster research on Tang literature. It receives no government support. It holds biennial conferences and publishes two periodicals, Tangdai zvenxue yanjiu (formerly Tangdai wenxue luncong ) (irregular, Vice Editor-in-Chief: Liang Chaoran, Guangxi People's College) and Tangdai wenxue yanjiu nianjian (annual, Execu114 Tang Studies 8-9 (1990-91) tive Editors: Huo Songlin and Yang Encheng, Shaanxi Normal U.). Current officers of the Association are Cheng Qianfan, President; Huo Songlin, Wang Yunxi, Fu Xuanzong, Vice President; and Huo Songlin, Secretary General. Fu Xuanzong (Zhonghua shuju) delivered a report on research trends of the past decade. He cited four key developments: 1) Broadening of research topics. In the past decade, studies have been published on as many as 160 Tang poets. This number constitutes two-thirds of the authors who are represented by one or more juan in the Quart Tang shi. New attention has been directed to the comparatively neglected areas...