Conference on Confucianism "Kong Shangren, historical narrative and vernacular ethics", March 29, en hybride

8 April 2022

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Conference organized by the Inalco Foundation, in association with IFRAE (Inalco-Université Paris Cité-CNRS), as part of the "Confucianism in the Context of Globalization" lecture series supported by EURASIA Foundation (from Asia).
Illustration du Taohua Shan
Illustration du Taohua Shan‎

Tuesday, March 29, 2022 - 18:00 - 20:00 - Maison de la recherche - En hybride: Auditorium Dumézil / and online
Inalco, 2 rue de Lille 75007, Paris

Kong Shangren, historical narrative and vernacular ethics

Conference given by Rainier Lanselle, director of studies at EPHE, member of CRCAO

Kong Shangren 孔尚任 (1648-1718), descendant of Confucius, is best known as the author of one of the greatest masterpieces of early Qing theater-opera, The Peach Blossom Fan (Taohua shan 桃花扇), set during the short-lived reign of Emperor Hongguang 弘光 (1644-1645), at the heart of the Ming-Qing dynastic transition. The historical narrative is coupled with ethical issues that make it much more than mere entertainment. These issues are intimately linked to the vulgar-language performing arts, in which the playwriting is embedded, and whose issues are dramatized in the play. The Taohua shan is about history, but at the same time about the status of the whole vernacular culture of the time. For Kong Shangren, this culture is not only compatible with its ancestor's ethical message: it is its true heir.

Contacts: frederic.wang@inalco.fr / fondation@inalco.fr

Find all information on the conference cycle Confucianism in the Context of Globalization