Lecture by Dr. Shi Pengfei in the 41th talk of the “Tan Lark Sye Lecture Series”
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.
