On 7 August, the Institute for Research in Humanities (IRH) held the third session of its summer seminar for high school students, "An Invitation to the Culture of Chinese Characters", at Kyoto University's Center for Informatics in East Asian Studies (CIEAS).
This seminar is designed to introduce young persons -- the next generation of researchers -- to the appeal and depth of Chinese characters through easy-to-follow lectures so that they might develop an interest in the culture surrounding the writing system. This year's event, held under the theme, "For a Change, Let's Talk about Publications", attracted a total 21 students, some coming from as far away as the Kanto region.
After a welcome address by CIEAS Director Itaru Tomiya, Associate Professor Tomoyuki Nagata of IRH delivered a lecture entitled "Read, Write, Copy, and Print Out -- How to Publish a Book Written Entirely in Chinese Characters". These were followed by a guided tour of the host facility and a discussion, in which the students eagerly asked questions and expressed their views.
Comments by participants included: "I learned a lot from reading parts of rare Chinese publications," "Tracing the physical evolution of publications was quite intriguing," and "What I experienced today has made me want to study at Kyoto University and work at IRH as a researcher."
Seminar in session
