Image of Antje Richter and her book cover titled, “Health and the Art of Living“. Banner for Health and the Art of Living: Illness Narratives in Early Medieval Chinese Literature

Health & the Art of Living: Illness Narratives in Early Medieval Chinese Literature

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Cultural Author Chinese

Fri, Nov 6, 2026

2 PM – 4 PM PST (GMT-8)

Humanities Gateway 1030

University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, United States

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This is a series of invited lectures by leading scholars whose recent studies and books have significantly reshaped the study of traditional Chinese humanities. The invited speakers’ work collectively illuminates several emerging directions in the field. The first two lectures are scheduled for November 2026, and the third is tentatively planned for winter 27. Antje Richter (Univ. of Colorado, Boulder) examines animals in medieval strange tales, not merely as symbolic figures but as charismatic agents that participate in alternative social and ethical relationships, including forms of companionship that challenge human-centered hierarchies. Mengxiao Wang’s (USC) recent book, Performing Enlightenment, explores the world of popular performance in early modern China, where storytellers and dramatists staged narratives of romantic attachment to communicate Buddhist soteriological teachings of renunciation, transforming affective experience into a vehicle for religious instruction.

Where

Humanities Gateway 1030

University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, United States

Hosted By

Illuminations: The Chancellor's Arts & Culture Initiative | Website | View More Events