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CUHK Receives Donation from Fung Ying Seen Koon for Daoist Research andHolds International Conference on Qing Daoism cum Launching of Daoist Digital Museum
The Centre for Studies of Daoist Culture at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) hosted the opening ceremony of a two-day international conference on ‘Lüzu Cult, Lay Groups, and Religious Innovation in Qing Daoism’ today (11 December), jointly with École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE) in Paris and Research Institute for Letters, Arts and Sciences of Waseda University in Tokyo.
This was the occasion, for CUHK to hold the signing ceremony of the third 5-year donation agreement with Fung Ying Seen Koon and to launch the ‘Daoist Digital Museum’, the first of its kind in the world.
Officiating guests include Master Ren Farong, President of the Chinese Daoist Association; Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK; and Master Hung Siu Ling, Chairman of Fung Ying Seen Koon.
CUHK Joins Hands with Fung Ying Seen Koon to Promote Daoist Research
The Centre for Studies of Daoist Culture was founded on the first 5-year agreement between CUHK and Fung Ying Seen Koon in 2005. Since then, the Centre has taken upon itself to promote Daoist culture by running learning programmes for the public and embarking on vigorous research projects. At the signing ceremony today, Master Hung Siu Ling, Chairman of Fung Ying Seen Koon signed the third 5-year donation agreement with Prof. Joseph Sung, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK, and made a donation of 11 million Hong Kong dollars to the Centre for Studies of Daoist Culture for further promoting Daoist studies.
CUHK Established the First ‘Daoist Digital Museum’ in the World
The Centre for Studies of Daoist Culture has successfully established the world’s first ‘Daoist Digital Museum’. Over 150 temples in Guangzhou are demonstrated in the first phase. Advanced Internet technology, web mapping and a geographic information system (GIS) are adopted to form an interactive web platform. By spatially positioning the temple location, user can have a panoramic view of a temple and study its history, architecture, deity, instruments, inscription, ritual archive, and reference materials according to their interest or different research purposes.
The Daoist Digital Museum (http://dao.crs.cuhk.edu.hk/vm/) will be open for registration from 2 January 2015 to collect views from the public.
A New Perspective on Religious Innovations of Daoism
The two-day International Conference on Lüzu Cult, Lay Groups, and Religious Innovation in Qing Daoism aimed at unveiling the religious innovations of Daoism in the Qing dynasty through a new perspective focused on Lüzu cult and lay groups beyond institutional Daoism. The conference comprised six sessions, including (1) Study on Lüzu Altar, (2) Reproduction and Transmission of Lüzu Cult, (3) Lüzu Belief in Immortality, (4) Lüzu and Other Deities/Local Cults, (5) Lüzu Scriptures, (6) Lüzu in Literary and Popular Culture. Fifteen distinguished scholars from all over the world shared their insights at the conference.
The Conference was sponsored by Fung Ying Seen Koon, the Faculty of Arts and the Institute of Chinese Studies at CUHK.
Prof. Joseph Sung, Vice-Chancellor of CUHK (left) and Master Hung Siu Ling, Chairman of Fung Ying Seen Koon sign the third 5-year donation agreement.
Fung Ying Seen Koon donates 11 million HK dollars to the Centre for Studies of Daoist Culture at CUHK for further promoting Daoist studies.
An address by Master Ren Farong, President of the Chinese Daoist Association (left).
A group photo of all guests at the international conference on ‘Lüzu Cult, Lay Groups, and Religious Innovation in Qing Daoism’.
