The aim of the Books & City Series is to encourage students’ polymathic study, to gather knowledge, not only by expanding beyond the borders of countries, but also time and different subjects. Speakers like writers, journalist and faculty from academic departments are invited to share with students. Through this event, we hope to promote reading from the perspective of speakers from various fields as well as to promote library resources.
The Library was honored to invite the former Director of Hong Kong Maritime Museum Dr. Stephen Davies to deliver a talk titled “An Introduction to the Jinghai Fenji of Yuan Yonglun and the “Pacifying the South China Sea” Scroll in the Hong Kong Maritime Museum” in 9 Apr 2015. It was the second time for Dr. Davies to present a talk at CityU Library. In this talk, as the lead researcher in decoding the scroll, Dr. Davies described in detail the Jinghai fenji 靖海氛記 and the Pacifying the South China Sea 靖海全圖 scroll. Jinghia Fengji is written in 1830 which depicts the pirate scourge in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries China, including a narration of Zhang Baozai who was a notorious Hong Kong pirate. The Hong Kong Maritime Museum kept an ink-painting scroll entitled Pacifying the South China Sea which depicts the final battle that took place off Lantau Island, Zhang’s surrender, appointment as a Lieutenant in the Qing Navy and subsequent assistance in clearing out the pirates who had paralysed the Guangdong coast. Through his in-depth study, Dr. Davies retold the stories behind the scroll with reference to historical events and documents.
Solving the World's Worst Piracy Problem in 1809
