Reports
Date: Sunday, July 15th, 14:30
Location: Kyōto University, Yoshida-South Campus, Academic Center Building, North Wing, Fourth Floor, Room 4117
Topic: The Colonial Taiwanese Magazine, South Seas Buddhism, and its Classical Chinese Poetry Columns
Speaker: ZHAO Zhenyu (Ph.D. Candidate, Kyōto University)
Language: Japanese and Mandarin
Even on this hot summer day, professors as well as graduate students in the humanities and sciences from Kyōto University gathered for this lecture, numbering about ten in all.
This time, we invited Zhao Zhenyu, a PhD candidate from Kyōto University, to give a presentation on the subject of the colonial-era Taiwanese magazine, South Seas Buddhism, and its classical Chinese poetry columns.
The speaker talked about the following four topics: 1. The state of Buddhism in colonial Taiwan during the beginning and middle periods, 2. The establishment of the South Seas Buddhism organization, 3. South Seas Buddhism the magazine, and 4. The classical Chinese poetry columns found therein.
While South Seas Buddhism was initially a bulletin for the South Seas Buddhism organization, it later became a publication geared toward the general public. As a result, many of its contributors were those without any Buddhist affiliation. It was emphasized that South Seas Buddhism has many sections that have yet to be researched, and that it was a very important magazine in colonial Taiwan’s Buddhist, literary, and social history.
In the discussion after the speaker’s presentation, we covered topics such as the magazine’s influence, the organization of its contributing authors, the languages used, and the content of the classical Chinese poetry contained therein using the electronic version of South Seas Buddhism. The professors also gave advice on things to keep in mind when using existing theory. The discussion not only deepened our understanding in regard to the magazine South Seas Buddhism, but it also inspired other areas of research.
We would again like to thank Zhao Zhenyu who provided the topic, the professors who advised us, and everyone who participated in the lively discussion despite the oppressive heat.
(WANG Yiran, Ph.D. Candidate, Kyōto University)
