【41st Talk】Dr. Shi Pengfei: “Ming-Qing Poetry and Prose as Commodities”
Upcoming Event
| Introduction | The 41st session of the “Tan Lark Sye Lecture Series,” organized by the Institute of International Education and the Tan Lark Sye Institute at New Era University College is now open for registration. This lecture features Assistant Research Fellow Dr. Shi Pengfei from the School of Liberal Arts, Nanjing University. Dr. Shi will lead a discussion on Ming-Qing Poetry and Prose as Commodities. As poetry and prose became extensively integrated into various aspects of daily life among the gentry and wealthy commoner classes, societal demand for literary works surged dramatically. The topic of this talk focuses on the commercialization of poetry and prose during the Ming and Qing dynasties. As commercial writing emerged as a mode of literary production that writers had to confront, Dr. Shi will examine the impacts of high degree of commercialization exhibited by many literary genres of prose and poetry. Literary works have acquired economic attributes that manifested both diachronic price fluctuations and synchronic pricing mechanisms. The talk will also explore how literary transactions during the late Qing period achieved an unprecedented commercial scale through modern media platforms, postal systems, and business model. This exploration of the commercialization of poetry and prose was inherent in the socio-cultural structure of early modern China and is essential for a comprehensive understanding of the literary characteristics and cultural functions of Chinese poetry and prose during this period. |
| Speaker | Dr. Shi Pengfei (School of Liberal Arts, Nanjing University) Shi Pengfei, Ph.D. in Literature from Nanjing University, is currently an Assistant Research Fellow at Institute for the Collation of Ancient Chinese Texts, School of Liberal Arts, Nanjing University. His research focuses on Ming Dynasty documents and culture, as well as Ming-Qing literature and society. His scholarly works have been published in leading Chinese academic journals, including Wenyi Yanjiu (Literary & Art Studies, 2025), Wenxue Yichan (Literary Heritage, 2023), and Wenxian (The Documentation, 2024, 2022, 2021). |
| Moderator | Moderator: Asst. Prof. Dr. Wong Wai Shee (Head of Department of Chinese Language & Literature; Head of Tay Lian Soo Chinese Study Centre) Dr. Wong Wai Shee, graduated from the Department of Chinese Studies, University Malaya, Dr. Wong continued to pursue her postgraduate studies at Central China Normal University. She has completed her Master’s degree in Political Sociology and Ph.D. in Political Theory under a full scholarship funded by the China Scholarship Council (CSC). She currently serves as the Head of Department of Chinese Language & Literature at New Era University College, as well as the Head of Tay Liam Soo Chinese Study Centre. Her research interests focus on Contemporary Chinese Studies and Malaysian Chinese Politics and Social Movements. She is the editor of the book Guiding Thousands of Households: The History, Development, and Dissemination of the Chempaka Buddisht Lodge in Malaysia. She has also served as a columnist for China Press, writing commentaries on current affairs and popularizing articles on political theory. |
| Information | Date: 28 May 2025 (Wednesday) Time: 7:30pm – 9:00pm Venue: ZOOM (ID & password will be sent to your mobile number and email) Registration Form: https://bit.ly/3seNHqc Registration is free. Please complete your registration by Tuesday, 27 May 2025. |
Trailer (Video)
Lecture Postscript
The 41st Tan Lark Sye Lecture Series organized by the Institute of International Education, New Era University College was held on 28th May 2025. The event featured Dr. Shi Pengfei, an assistant researcher from the School of Liberal Arts, Nanjing University, as the guest speaker. His lecture titled “Ming-Qing Poetry and Prose as Commodities,” provided an in-depth exploration of the commercialization of poetry and prose from Ming and Qing dynasty.
The keynote speaker, Dr. Shi Pengfei, holds a Ph.D. in Chinese Literature from Nanjing University and currently serves as a Specially Appointed assistant researcher at the Institute of Classical Literature, School of Liberal Arts, Nanjing University. His primary research focuses on Ming dynasty literature and culture, as well as Ming-Qing literature and society. His scholarly work has been published in leading academic journals, including Literary and Art Studies (2025), Literary Heritage (2023), and The Documentation (2024, 2022, 2021).
In his lecture, Dr. Shi discussed the commercialized writing model faced by writers in the Ming and Qing dynasties, revealing how many prose genres and specific poetic forms exhibited distinct commercial characteristics. As a result, literary works have acquired the economic attribute, demonstrating both diachronic patterns of price fluctuation and synchronic pricing mechanisms. By the late Qing period, the trade of poetry and prose had achieved an unprecedented commercial scale through newspapers, postal systems, and business model. Dr. Shi emphasized that the commodification of literarure works was deeply embedded in the socio-cultural structure of early modern China and is essential for a comprehensive understanding of the literary characteristics and cultural functions of Chinese poetry and prose during this period.
Following the lecture, the audience, and the moderator engaged actively with the speaker during the Q&A, raising questions related to the commodification of Ming and Qing literature. Dr. Shi provided insightful responses and in-depth answers. The lecture was hosted by Asst. Prof. Wong Wai Shee, Head of the Department of Chinese Language & Literature, New Era College University, and attracted an audience of over 120 participants.
