Royal Asiatic Society China – “The Father of China’s Pinyin System: Zhou Youguang” by Mark O’Neill – February 7 2024

Posted: February 6th, 2024 | No Comments »

WHAT: “The Father of China’s Pinyin System: Zhou Youguang”, an RASBJ online event with author Mark O’Neill and moderator David Moser

WHEN: Feb. 7 Wednesday. 7:00-8:00 PM Beijing Time

ABOUT THE EVENT: Mark O’Neill’s latest book is about Zhou Youguang (周有光), the scholar who invented Pinyin, a system of romanisation for Chinese characters. At the age of 111, Zhou died in January 2017 after an extraordinary life. He had been a banker in Shanghai, New York and London. He’d supplied food and textiles for soldiers and civilians during WWII. After 1949 he was a linguist. He lived through Maoist-era political campaigns and spent 28 months in a labour camp. He wrote 49 books and, in the last 20 years of his life, was one of China’s few intellectuals willing to openly express his sometimes critical views.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Mark O’Neill has lived in Asia since 1978 and has written 14 books on Chinese history and society. Born in London, England, O’Neill was educated at Marlborough College and New College, Oxford and worked in Washington D.C., Manchester and Belfast before moving to Asia.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR: David Moser holds a Master’s and a Ph.D. in Chinese Studies from the University of Michigan, with a major in Chinese Linguistics and Philosophy. He is currently Associate Professor at Beijing Capital Normal University. Moser is author of “A Billion Voices: China’s Search for a Common Language”, published by Penguin.

HOW MUCH: Free for RASBJ members. RMB 50 for members of partner RAS branches in London, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul. RMB 100 for non-members. Interested in becoming an RASBJ member? Please sign up at https://rasbj.org/membership

HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT: Please click “Register” or “I Will Attend” (here) and follow the instructions. You may find paying via Alipay easier than by Wechat; credit cards are also accepted. After successful registration you’ll receive a confirmation email with a link to join the event. If you seem not to have received it, please check your spam folder.

Note for members of partner RAS branches: Please register at least 72 hours in advance to allow time for membership verification. Please check your spam folder to ensure you see all RASBJ emails.

HOW TO PURCHASE THE BOOK IN BEIJING: RASBJ has available a limited number of hard copies; regrets if supply is insufficient to fill demand. If you’re interested, please email communications@rasbj.org (If you’re outside of Beijing, books can be ordered via https://www.mybookone.com.hk. However, RASBJ is not responsible for their delivery.)

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