City University of Hong Kong (CityU) will open the “Discover Chinese and Korean cultures through ancient maps and Korean classics” seminar and exhibition on 20 March. Twenty-three ancient maps (with some reprints) drawn between the 16th and 19th century depicting China, Korea and surrounding areas, and two collections of classical Korean works written in Chinese, will be shown at the Run Run Shaw Library. A traditional Korean wedding ceremony demonstration will also take place on the same day and will present a wonderful photo opportunity for the press.

The exhibition of ancient maps and Korean classics will run from 20-30 March. Mr Lee Young-ho, Deputy Consul General of Consulate General of the Republic of Korea; Professor Way Kuo, University President; Professor Cheng Pei-kai, Director of Chinese Civilisation Centre; Professor Steve Ching Hsianghoo, University Librarian; and Professor Jonathan Webster, Head of the Department of Chinese, Translation and Linguistics, will attend the exhibition opening ceremony.

The ancient maps to be displayed are provided by Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and University of Southern California, while the two collections of Korean works are owned by CityU. The Han’guk y?ktae munjip ch‘ongs? (Anthology of Korean Works Through the Ages), one of CityU’s collections, comprises 3,000 volumes of works by more than 1,000 Korean authors covering a wide range of topics, including philosophy, history, literature, politics, society, economics, military, geography and astronomy. The most comprehensive collection of Korean works written in Chinese, it traces the long history of interaction between Korea and China. The other collection, Y?nhaengnok ch?njip (A Complete Record of Journeys to Beijing), contains 100 volumes that vividly record scenes from Chinese society during the Ming and Qing dynasties as seen and heard by Korean diplomatic agents during their journeys to Beijing.

“Our library acquired its two noteworthy collections a couple of years ago to support our students and researchers in their work on world civilisation,” Professor Ching said. “Bound by historical constraints, there always exists a difficulty for modern readers to understand ancient Korean works because of the difference in semiotics, punctuation and writing structure. To bridge the gap between ancient authors and modern readers, not only will the Library continue to expand its collection, we will also devote more effort to delivering value-added services.”

“To ignite reader interest in Korean classics written in Chinese, we published the book The Rapport between China and Korea in History: Classical Korean Works in Chinese and Cultural Exchange in 2008, which was a rich collection of articles on Korean and Chinese cultures written by many prominent scholars,” Professor Ching added. “This year, we will continue to work on our indexing programme on the Han’ guk yǒktae munjip ch’ ongsǒ, which will definitely benefit academic research today and in the years to come.”

Along with the exhibition of ancient maps and Korean classics, CityU Library will hold two seminars on 20 March. Ms Joy Kim, Librarian of the Korean Heritage Library at University of Southern California, and Professor Piao Zhengyang, Librarian of Yanbian University, will talk about the changing images of Korea and China as represented in Western maps and the value of Korean classics written in Chinese.

The traditional Korean wedding ceremony demonstration will commence after the exhibition opening ceremony. The demonstration is the climax of Korea Week, organised by the Department of Chinese, Translation and Linguistics. CityU’s teachers and students and the local Korean community will don traditional Korean wedding costumes and perform Korean wedding rituals, with traditional music as the backdrop. The rituals include Jeonanlye (presentation of wild goose), Gyobaerye (bowing) and Hapgeunlye (drinking).

Korea Week includes activities such as seminars, traditional cultural performances, Korean cinema screening and a photo exhibition from today (17 March) to 20 March to help promote Korean culture to CityU staff and students. Mr Seok Tong-youn, Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Hong Kong, was invited to talk about Korea’s relationship with China on the first day of the programme. Ms Park Jung-sook, Professor of Hyung Hee University and popular Korean culture expert, was also invited to speak on the future of Hallyu (popular Korean culture) in Asia.

The “Discover Chinese and Korean cultures through ancient maps and Korean classics” seminar and exhibition are jointly organised by CityU’s Run Run Shaw Library, Chinese Civilisation Centre and Department of Chinese, Translation and Linguistics. The opening ceremony of the exhibition and the demonstration of traditional Korean wedding ceremonies will be held at 11:00 am on 20 March. Media are welcome to attend the event.

Media enquiries: Zoey Tsang, Communications and Public Relations Office, CityU (9550 1503 or 2788 9411).