HKU Faculty of Arts — Fall 2026 Lecture Series
Title: Spiritual and Commercial Merchandise in the Global Catholic Network, 16th-18th centuries
Speaker: Prof. Ronnie Po-chia Hsia (夏伯嘉教授), Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of History, Pennsylvania State University
Date: 30 October 2026 (Friday)
Time: 5:00-6:30pm
Venue: Room 4.36, 4/F, Run Run Shaw Tower
Language: English
Delivery Mode: In-Person only
Abstract:
Religion and commerce were inseparable in the era of European maritime explorations from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Using three examples, this lecture presents the commercial merchandise and spiritual objects that circulated from Europe and Latin America to China via the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and introduces the missionaries who facilitated that global exchange.
Biography:
Prof. Ronnie Po-chia Hsia (夏伯嘉教授) is the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of History at the Pennsylvania State University.
His research has focused on the history of the Protestant Reformation, Catholic Renewal, anti-Semitism, and the encounter between Europe and Asia. His current book project, tentatively titled Translating Christianity: China and the Catholic Missions 1584-1780, is a study of the history of cultural encounter between Counter-Reformation Europe and the Ming and Qing empires. His publications on the history of missions include A Jesuit in the Forbidden City and Matteo Ricci and the Catholic Mission to China.
Registration: https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?guest=Y&ueid=109408
Registration will close at 12:00 pm, on 29 Oct 2026 (Thursday)
You will receive a confirmation email upon successful registration. Please present it at the venue for admission to the event.
We look forward to seeing you there!
------------------------------
Enquiries: artscomm@hku.hk
