This event is co-hosted by the Embassy of Belgium, Macau Ricci Institute at the University of Saint Joseph, the Beijing Center for Chinese Studies, and Yale Center Beijing.
Event Time
October 09, 2023 | Monday
04:00 - 07:00 Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
October 09, 2023 | Monday
16:00 - 19:00 China Standard Time (CST)
Participation Format
Please join us through ZOOM. Registration is subject to approval. Please email yalecenterbeijing@yale.edu with your full name, organization / school, position / class year, and contact number by 14:00 China Standard Time, October 8. We will notify successful registrants about the ZOOM information of the event.
Please enter the Zoom meeting room 15 minutes before the starting time. When the room is full, latecomers will not be able to access the conference.
The language of the event will be English, with simultaneous translation into Chinese.
The Event
October 9, 2023, is the 400th centennial of the birth of Ferdinand Verbiest, one of the subjects of late Yale Historian Jonathan D. Spence’s book To Change China. On that day, scholars and luminaries, including the Ambassador of Belgium to China and the Governor of the province of West Flanders in Belgium, will gather at Yale Center Beijing to discuss Verbiest’s life, work, and enduring influence.
Unable to join the symposium in person? Join us for an exclusive virtual conference and immerse yourself in the remarkable legarcy of Verbiest. Get ready to embark on a captivating journey through the realms of innovation, science, and cultural exchange!
Agenda
Welcome Address
Carol Li Rafferty
Executive Director, Yale Center Beijing
Opening Remarks
Bruno Angelet
H.E. Ambassador of Belgium
Dialogue with China through innovation and science: Opening Statement
Carl Decaluwé
Governor of the province of West Flanders
Ferdinand Verbiest in the TV series of Chinese court dramas
Li Bingquan
Professor, College of Liberal Arts, Renmin University of China
Verbiest Shaped by the Chinese
Nicolas Standaert
Director, Sinological Institute, KU Leuven
Science, politics and religion: Debates about Verbiest's involvement at the Imperial Astronomical Bureau
Thierry Meynard
Professor of Philosophy, Sun Yat-Sen University Guangzhou
History of evaluation and evaluation of history: The scientific image of Ferdinand Verbiest and the Jesuits in China
Lei Huanjie
Researcher, Institute of Philosophy, China Academy of Social Sciences
A copy of the Celestial Globe by Ferdinand Verbiest: Symbol of friendship and exchange between China and Europe
Jeroom Heyndrickx
Founder and Former Director, Ferdinand Verbiest Institute, KU Leuven
Concluding Remarks
Stephan Rothlin
Director, Macau Ricci Institute, University of Saint Joseph
Public Event