Ming Tak Ted Hui is an Associate Professor of Classical Chinese and Medieval China at the University of Oxford. He is currently finishing a book project that explores the multilingual environment of the Yuan dynasty in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, a period when China was under Mongol rule.
This presentation challenges the previous understanding of the relationship between the Mongol Yuan dynasty and the Kingdom of Annam (northern Vietnam) in the 13th and 14th centuries. It argues that the perception of continuity in diplomatic relations between the two nations, as portrayed in documents following Chinese literary conventions, overlooks the multilingual nature of the Mongol Empire. This study focuses on the works of two Yuan Dynasty envoys and examines how their poetry challenges the generic conventions of Chinese poetry in an attempt to express their experiences in a foreign land. By studying the literary works related to Yuan-Annam relations, this presentation reflects on the role of Chinese literary conventions in shaping the representation of cultural others.
Sponsored by The Wellington KK Chan Distinguished Visitors in Chinese Studies
