Though he died 35 years ago, the Harvard historian John Fairbank remains alive through the influence of his ideas, students and image as a major figure in US-China relations. The workshop will survey the current state of interest in Fairbank in mainland China. Which of his ideas have resonance in contemporary scholarship? What debates does he engender? Beyond his iconic status, how is he valuable in managing an ever more complex interaction between the United State and China?
Date: April 13, 2026
Time: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Venue: Room 4.36, 4/F Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, The University of Hong Kong
12:45 – 13:00
Registration
13:00 – 13:10
Welcome Remarks by Xu Guoqi
(David H Y Chang Professor in Chinese History
Founding Director, Institute of Transnational History of China
University of Hong Kong)
13:10 – 13:20
Introduction by Paul Evans
(Professor Emeritus, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs
University of British Columbia)
13:20 – 15:00
Panel 1
Chang Chihyun
(Professor, Department of History
Sun Yat-Sen University)
Pan Weilin
(Associate Professor, Institute of China Studies
Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences)
15:00 – 15:20
Coffee Break
15:20 – 16:50
Panel 2
Timothy Cheek
(Louis Cha Chair in Chinese Research, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs and Department of History
University of British Columbia)
Xu Guoqi
(David H Y Chang Professor in Chinese History
Founding Director, Institute of Transnational History of China
University of Hong Kong)
16:50 – 17:00
Closing Remarks by Paul Evans
(Professor Emeritus, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs
University of British Columbia)