Institute of Chinese Literature and Philosophy, Preparatory Office

The Preparatory Office of the Institute of Chinese Literature and Philosophy is situated by the side of the Ssu-fen brook in Academia Sinica. At present it has 17 research fellows and more than one hundred and twenty thousand holdings in its library collection. We aim to advance the study of Chinese literature and philosophy, and to lay the groundwork for the establishment of the Institute. We recruit researchers that specialize in the following five fields: classical Chinese literature, modern Chinese literature, Confucian classics, Chinese philosophy, and comparative philosophy. It also sponsors collaborative research projects and provides a forum of intellectual exchange for scholars in Taiwan and abroad.

The establishment of this office began in 1988, when Dr. Ting Pang-hsin and 15 other members of Academia Sinica proposed to set up the Institute of Chinese Literature and Philosophy. As the proposal was well received, Professor Wu Hung-i of National Taiwan University was invited both to chair the Advisory Committee and to head the Preparatory Office in the fall of 1989. The office began to operate in March 1990. In July 1992, Professor Wu resigned from both posts for health reasons. Dr. Ting Pang-hsin chaired the Advisory Committee from 1992 to 1995; Professor Tu Wei-ming was later appointed the new chairman of the Committee. Professor Tai Lian-chang, a member of the Advisory Committee since 1989, assumed the directorship of the Preparatory Office in 1992. He has headed the Office ever since.

In the past five years, under the leadership of two directors, our research staff have developed a number of group projects, including studies on the poetics of tz'u, contemporary Taiwanese literature, Mencius, and contemporary Confucianism. The Office has also sponsored several international conferences, and invited visiting scholars from overseas. We also collected manuscripts and other materials of literary and philosophical interests. In addition, the Office has issued two kinds of serials as well as a variety of monographs. With all of these accomplishments, we are moving towards the establishment of the Institute in the near future.

RESEARCH

Special Collection

CLASSICAL CHINESE LITERATURE

MODERN CHINESE LITERATURE

Vernacular literature since the mid-Ch'ing dynasty, folk literature, the relationship between Chinese and foreign literatures, and other issues related to modern literature.

CONFUCIAN CLASSICS

The hermeneutics and history of Confucian Classics, and their connections with Chinese literature and philosophy in general.

CHINESE PHILOSOPHY

Major philosophical stands of Chinese thought, the relationship between philosophy, literature, politics, and society, and history and thought of religion.

COMPARATIVE PHILOSOPHY

Comparisons between Chinese and Western philosophy, and other issues related to modern philosophy.

PERSONNEL AND FACILITIES

PERSONNEL

At present we have 17 permanent research staff, including 6 research fellows, 2 associate research fellows, 5 assistant research fellows, 4 research assistants, 1 postdoctoral fellow, and 7 administrative personnel.

LIBRARY

Library

The library of the Preparatory Office began to collect materials in Chinese literature and philosophy in July 1990. It has received materials donated by both organizations and individuals ever since. By February 1996, the total library collection amounts to 120,715 titles, which include 83,530 books, 25,324 threadbound books, 7,282 volumes of bound periodicals, 2,921 microfiches, 1,063 microfilms, 593 videotapes, and 2 CD-ROMs.

Among these collections, 34,000 volumes are gifts from individuals and organizations. These include a variety of precious materials, such as the personal collection of books and threadbound volumes on Chinese culture of Professor Yang Chia-lo (楊家駱教授), a collection of old Japanese books and Ch'ing editions of ancient Chinese books from the Lin Family of Wu-feng (霧峰林家), and the collection of threadbound books and stone rubbings from the family of Professor Hung Lu-tung (洪陸東教授).

In January 1966, the library moved to the new five-story building with over 2,437.5 square meters, next to the research building of the Preparatory Office. It provides public services from Monday through Saturday. Collections are classified into the following six categories:

• classical Chinese literature,
• modern Chinese literature,
• Chinese philosophy,
• Confucian classics,
• comparative philosophy,
• reference books.

There are also special collections, which contain thread-bound books including Ch'ing Meng-ku Ch'e-wang-fu ts'ang ch'u-pen (清蒙古車王府藏曲本), 19th-century English books on China, and current publications from Mainland China (including over 30,000 monographs and over 400 kinds of periodicals).

MAJOR RESULTS OF RESEARCH

Publications

GROUP RESEARCH PROJECTS

• Completed
  • The Poetics of Tz'u (1993 - 1994)
  • Modern Taiwanese Literature (1993 - 1994)
  • The Study of Mencius (1993 - 1994)
• In Progress
  • Contemporary Confucianism (1993 - 1996)
  • The Ideas of Liu Chi-shan (1994 - 1997)
  • Religion and 21st-century Taiwan (1995 - 1996)
  • Ming-Ch'ing Drama (1995 - 1997)
  • Literary Theory and Popular Culture ─ from the Forties to the Sixties (1996 - 1997)

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES AND SYMPOSIA

RESEARCH STAFF

MEMBER OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE