Events
Public lecture: The Emperor’s New Lessons: How and Why Did Emperor Kangxi Learn Western Science and Mathematics?
| Date: | February 17, 2012 |
| Time: | 5.30 pm (light refreshments from 5 pm) |
| Venue: | Wang Gungwu Theatre, Graduate House, HKU |
| Medium: | English |
| Admission: | Free |
| Speaker: | Professor Siu Man Keung, Department of Mathematics, HKU |
Abstract
Since 1688 there went on inside the Imperial Court lessons in mathematics and astronomy taught to Emperor Kangxi by the Jesuits, leading to the establishment of an Office of Mathematics at Mengyangzhai (Studio for the Cultivation of the Youth) in 1713 and the ten-year project in compiling the 100-volume Lüli Yuanyuan (Origins of Mathematical Harmonics and Astronomy). How successful did Emperor Kangxi learn the new lessons? What drove an emperor to learn Western science and mathematics in such earnest? This talk tries to examine this episode that would be better understood in a political context along with its educational context.
About the Speaker
Professor M K Siu obtained his BSc in mathematics and physics at the University of Hong Kong. He then acquired his PhD in mathematics at Columbia University. Like the description "And gladly would he learn, and gladly teach" of the Oxford cleric in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, Professor Siu had been devoting his efforts in research and teaching for more than three decades until he retired in 2005, and he is still enjoying himself in doing that after retirement. Professor Siu is currently an Honorary Professor of HKU.
