Events at Reed

The New Frontiers in the Study of Medieval China workshop series will focus on one of the most important and influential new sources in the study of medieval China, muzhiming—stone slabs interred within a tomb and typically inscribed with a biography, an account of the burial, and a rhymed eulogy. Excavated by the thousands in recent decades and with new finds occurring almost daily, muzhiming are a unique cultural form of commemorative epigraphy through which contemporary scholars can explore a diverse range of artistic, literary, religious, and economic practices. As such, the workshop series explores fundamental questions about the nature of and approaches to muzhiming. The participants of the workshop are among the leading scholars of medieval China and muzhiming from Asia, Europe and the US and from the disciplines of art history, history, literature, and religion. It is intended that conversations begun between workshop participants through translation, close reading of specific examples of muzhiming, and broader discussions will generate methodologies and resources useful to future research on aspects of medieval China often understudied in Western scholarship.

Co-organized by Jessey Choo (Rutgers University), Alexei Ditter (Reed College), and Yang Lu (Peking University) and sponsored by the Tang Research Foundation, Rutgers University, and Reed College. Registration required. Learn more, view the program, and register here.