Past Awards

An award from the Geiss Hsu Foundation will allow the Society for Ming Studies to continue awarding book prizes in Ming Studies to increase the visibility of pathbreaking work on Ming China within the broader field of Asian Studies and related disciplines. A committee of senior Ming scholars will review nominated publications, and prizes will be awarded at the Society for Ming Studies’ annual meeting-in-conjunction, held at the Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference.

A group of established and emerging scholars specializing in environmental history, genealogy, geomantic knowledge, and the spatial arrangement of folk religions met to plan the next stage of an intensive fieldwork project on fengshui landscapes in Wuyuan County. Research goals included developing a more nuanced understanding of China’s historical ecology, especially of how it changed in the Ming and early Qing; developing new methodologies for historical ecology; and providing historical baselines and models for contemporary efforts to stabilize the climate and protect local and regional ecologies.

An award from the Geiss Hsu Foundation will support efforts to maintain, expand and promote the impact of the Journal of the Society for Ming Studies (Ming Studies) by funding a stiped for the editor of the Journal, who acts as both the academic editor and managing editor. This support will enable the editor to creatively develop the Journal’s digital presence through website design and to explore new publishing opportunities for the currently inactive Ming Studies monograph series as Ming Studies enters its fifth decade.

The award supported in-person and online project planning meetings for a workshop presenting transformative research on the “lesser relations” of the Ming world—brokers, merchants and shopkeepers; accountants and scribes; clerks and runners; gatekeepers and doormen; clergy; boatmen, porters, grooms, and sedan-chair carriers—who played key roles in shaping social and knowledge structures. The planners held a related workshop in 2025 and aim to publish papers in 2026.

Funding from GHF supported scholarships for students of the history of the book in Asia at Rare Book School (RBS), allowing young scholars to pursue learning in areas germane to the study of the book in the greater Ming world by studying with the School’s distinguished international faculty in seminar-style classes. The RBS course week included academic lectures, discussion forums, demonstrations, exhibitions, and additional opportunities to socialize with students and faculty from early morning through late evening.

The Peach Blossom Fan is one of the most important plays in Chinese history. It is also a masterpiece of world literature, acclaimed for the sophisticated ways it uses the tools of the theater to reflect on historical trauma and memory. This roundtable and reception celebrated the publication of Professor Li’s new translation, reflecting on the enduring significance of The Peach Blossom Fan, the challenges involved in translating this monumental work, and how the play still resonates with readers around the world. Panelists shared their thoughts on both the drama and the craft of literary translation in general.

In collaboration with the Princeton University Library, Rare Book School offered a new course on Books in Ming China as part of the School’s 2024 course roster. Intended for scholars already familiar with Ming studies, this course introduced participants to the collection of some 2,000 Ming books held at the Princeton libraries. Students conducted research in Princeton’s Gest Collection of East Asian Materials and generated ideas for research projects in Ming Studies. 

A three-year award will support the work of the managing editor of the Journal of the Society for Ming Studies and fund his travel to the Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference.