Abstracts and Biographies

Iwo AMELUNG

Professor, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt

Abstract:

Richard Wilhelm was the founder of the China-Institute at Frankfurt University, the first professor of Chinese studies in Frankfurt (and thus among the first sinologists in Germany) and he established the Sinica, an important Journal for Chinese studies. Even though Wilhelm was criticized for his philo-sinicism by many (especially German) colleagues, there is little doubt that not only his translation work, but also his work as a professor and as a popularizer of China and Chinese culture had a considerable impact. Wilhelm, for example, was the second advisor of Karl August Wittfogel's doctoral dissertation, and he served as a mentor for the famous historian of science Willy Hartner. The China-Institute at Frankfurt University, organized influential events with Chinese luminaries such as Hu Shi, Taixu and many others. In this paper, I will take up some of the less known aspects of Richard Wilhelm's work and suggest that when looking beyond his translations we also can discover other aspects of the considerable agency of a sinologist (who ironically never had studied sinology) in early 20th century Germany.

Biography:

Iwo Amelung is Professor of Chinese Studies at Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main. He has studied sinology and history at Göttingen University and in Bonn, where he got his MA. He got his PhD. from the Free University, Berlin, with a dissertation on the control of the Yellow River during the late Qing dynasty. He has studied and worked in China for several years, has served as the Managing Director of the European Centre for Chinese Studies at Peking University and was a visiting professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is interested in the history of late Imperial China and also focuses on the history of the Republican era. He has worked extensively on the reception of Western knowledge in late Imperial China. His recent projects include the historiography of science and technology in modern China and several projects relating to the process of the reception of knowledge and its relationship to identity politics in modern China. 

David KNECHTGES

Professor Emeritus, University of Washington

Abstract:

I first met Professor Hellmut Wilhelm when I was a senior in high school in Kirkland, Washington. At that time, I was planning to go to college to study chemistry or biology to pursue a career in medicine. However, I also had developed in an interest in Chinese history and literature. Professor Wilhelm came my high school to give a lecture. He remained after the lecture to chat with me and another student. I was so impressed with his manner and erudition I decided to enroll in the Chinese department at the University of Washington where my mentor was Hellmut Wilhelm. In this presentation I will tell of my experience studying with Professor Wilhelm and the influence he had on my career.

Biography:

David Richard Knechtges is an American sinologist and professor emeritus of Chinese literature at the University of Washington. An expert on Han dynasty and Six dynasties period literature, Knechtges' studies of Chinese fu poetry are largely responsible for the revival of Western academic interest in the subject, a major genre which had become largely neglected until the mid-20th century.

Jerry SWANSON

Independent scholar

Abstract:

I am happy to help with remembrances of Dr. Wilhelm, as we always knew him. Dr. Wilhelm guided two students through the Phd on an Yijing topic, myself and Tim Phelan, now deceased. I have two events that stand out for me that I sometimes share with people: I came to study with him with a Masters degree in philosophy and teaching experience in Greek philosophy (Plato and Aristotle). He suggested I translate the Da Zhuan as he thought this text needed a new approach. During my work on a particularly difficult section of that text, one night Richard Wilhelm appeared to me in a dream. He spoke in a very fast German. I had some German, but not enough for what I was hearing. Yet I understood everything he said perfectly. The next day I told Dr. Wilhelm about the dream and he was delighted and wanted to know everything. I used material from the dream in my thesis. The event never happened again. A second vivid memory involved Dr. Wilhelm at his summer cabin on the Skykomish River in the north cascades. We read the Dazhuan together sitting in summer folding chairs on the edge of the river. As I'm sure you know, the Dazhuan is no simple text and after a few hours, one sometimes tires and is left with only the flow and rhythm of the text. This happened on more than one occasion, but one specific example stands out, even to this day. Dr. Wilhelm stood up at the edge of the water and, swinging his arms in a large circle over his head, quoted the Analects 9:17 "Is it not like this: never resting day or night?" It was this event, more than any other, that helped me the understand the nature of the Yi.

Biography:

Gerald W. Swanson (he prefers "Jerry") was born in Sterling Illinois in 1938. He received his primary and secondary education in Danville, Illinois. He then entered the US Army and was sent to the US Army Language School at Monterey California to study the Chinese language, and upon completion, spent some time on Okinawa, Japan and Taiwan, Republic of China. It was in Taiwan that he was first introduced to the Yi Jing. After release from the army he enrolled in the University of Illinois, at Urbana Illinois. After a BA , he completed a Masters Degree in Philosophy and was graduated in 1966. He then enrolled in the PhD program at the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington and began to study the Yi with Hellmut Wilhelm. He was graduated in 1974 with a PhD: His PhD thesis was "The Great Treatise of the Book of Changes." He then took a position at the University of Vermont in the Department of Philosophy. At Vermont, he guided three students to the University of Washington where all three completed their Phd.

After Vermont, Dr. Swanson took a position at the Religious Studies Department at the University of Montana, where he taught Buddhism, as well as Chinese Philosophy. He has lectured at Harvard and Princeton and taught a summer session on Chinese Philosophy at the University of Washington. In the mid 1980's, he and his wife incorporated a small business in Montana. Dr. Swanson still has students, but prefers to be an independent scholar. Current research: as always, the Great Treatise of the Yi Jing.

LI Xuetao

Professor, Beijing Foreign Languages University

Abstract:

This study focuses on Richard Wilhelm's German translation of Xiaojing (the Classic of Filial Piety) and analyzes its role in the exchange of ideas between China and the West. The paper explores how Wilhelm reinterpreted the core Confucian ethical concept of "xiao" (filial piety) as "Ehrfurcht" (reverence) in his German translation, aligning it with Western Christian and German philosophical thought. It examines the cultural context and ideological motivations behind this reinterpretation. While Wilhelm's translation helped promote Confucian thought in the Western world, it also demonstrates a significant dehistoricization, downplaying the unique aspects of "filial piety" in ritual practices. Through a detailed analysis of Wilhelm's translation process, this paper reveals how his interpretation of Confucian ethics bridges the gap between language and culture, while also addressing the challenges of cultural representation.

Biography:

Prof. Li Xuetao, the Dean of the School of History, Director of the Institute of Global History, and an Academician of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina at Beijing Foreign Studies University, President of Society of Cultural Interaction in East Asia (Osaka) and Vice-President of Chinese Society for Historians of China's foreign Relations (Beijing). As MA and PhD of Bonn University, Germany, he is mainly engaged in the research of Global History, Chinese academic history, and the history of Chinese Buddhism, with several books published by far.

Bjoern Aage C. Blix

Post Doctoral Researcher, Hunan University

Abstract:

This presentation will display the direct and indirect influence of Richard Wilhelm's I Ging as a network in the three Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. A network is needed to cover the wide-spanning influence of Wilhelm as he is influential beyond the readers and translators of I Ging. Over five decades, Scandinavia have accumulated two translations of I Ging, one in Danish and one in Swedish, and numerous other works affiliated with the Changes reverently refer to Wilhelm's importance for his groundbreaking translation. The presentation will start by visually introducing different segments of Wilhelm's influence in Scandinavia. After, the presentation will pinpoint its focus on the Danish I Ging's translation. Here,the translator Jens Windeleff's will be introduced. Windeleff studied in Zürich and published the I Ging in Danish first in 1973. Since then, Windeleff has established a Changes circle in Denmark and after his almost 60 years of interacting with the Changes, has published a new divination method whose line-changing accuracy is argued to parallel yarrow stalk divination (in comparison to the coin toss method which does not). In the final part of the presentation, Windeleff's mathematical arguments and his new divination method will be presented. Based on the presented findings, Wilhelm's I Ging has undoubtedly sent ripples of inspiration throughout Scandinavia and has been essential in shaping the lives of some Scandinavians. 

Biography:

Bjoern Aage Blix is a post-doctoral researcher in the school of foreign languages at Hunan University (HuDa), with a particular focus on the global circulation of Chinese cultural ideas across different mediums of communication. His areas of research include Chinese philosophy and history, the global Changes, hermeneutics, multimodality, social semiotics and the translation of Chinese classical texts. 

Kar Bo WONG

Assistant Professor, BNU-HKBU United International College

Abstract:

In this paper, I assess the impact of the book of wisdom approachon the the Yijing stuides in United States from 1980 to2020. As "a translation of a translation," the I Ching (first published in 1950) was based on the I Ging of Richard Wilhelm. But after rendered into English by Cary F. Baynes, the I Ching presented thephilosophy of change and the practice of divination through the lens of Carl Jung's analytical psychology. During the 1980s and 1990s, this fusion of philosophical and psychological readings of the Yijing was referred to as the "book of wisdom" approach. In the first part of the paper, I will summarize the characteristics of this "book of wisdom" approach. In the second part of the paper, I will compare the writings of four eminent scholars who intentionally developed new readings of the Yijing to challenge this "book of wisdom" approach": Edward Shaughnessy, Kidder Smith, Richard John Lynn, and Richard Smith. By examining their works, I will elucidate the depth and diversity of Yijing studies in the United States in late twentieth century, when China was opened up for trade, travels, and academic exchanges. 

Biography:

Dr. Wong holds a BA in Philosophy and a PhD in Chinese Philosophy, both from Peking University. In 2018, she became an Assistant Professor at the Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College, where she teaches Comparative Ethics and University Chinese. Additionally, she conducts research in "Global Yijing Studies" at the Branding the Greater Bay Area Research Centre. Her research is part of a sub-project funded by the Guangdong Provincial initiative titled "Rushing to the Top, Making Up Shortcomings, and Strengthening Special Features (RMS)," supervised by Professor Tze-ki Hon.

Andreas Günter WEIS

Academic Employee, University of Göttingen

Abstract:

Richard Wilhelm (1873–1930) spent a decade working alone on translating the Yìjīng into German. He also used his experiences in crises and revolutions to understand the original meaning of the Chinese classic. At the same time, he welcomed helps and assistances from people around him. For instance, he worked closely with the eminent Chinese philosopher Láo Nǎixuān 勞乃宣 (1843–1921) in Shandong and collaborated with the Baltic philosopher Hermann Keyserling (1880–1946) in Darmstadt. Yet, in current scholarship, little attention has been paid to a few 'feminine' voices that inspired Wilhelm's translation. In fact, there were three women who significantly contributed to Wilhelm's translation work. First was his wife Salome Wilhelm (1879–1958), with whom he could discuss his work and who did proof-readings while connecting him to the reformist philosophy of her father. Second was his pupil and later secretary Anna Marie Luise Stoll (1901–1994), who corrected and cared for his manuscript. Third was the financère Bertha Sierstorpff (1876–1949), who financed his position in Frankfurt a. M. as well as the publication of books and journals, which enabled him to free himself from his dependency on the missionary society. In this paper, I examine their relationship with Wilhelm and their support for Wilhelm's translation work. I argue that, in their distinct ways, all three women contributed not just to the making of The Book of Changes as a "world literature" but also to Wilhelm's transition from a protestant missionary to a renowned professor, an "intellectual mediator between China and Europe."

Biography:

Andreas Günter Weis visited Braunschweig, Sheffield, Cape Town, Taipei, Beijing and Göttingen, received a BA in English Studies and History as well as a BA in Modern Sinology, and concluded his master studies in Modern Sinology with a thesis in the field of material culture and cultural memory. Since January 2019, he is an academic employee at the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Göttingen. His doctoral thesis in the field of Modern and Early Modern History is currently in process and titled "The Sino-German Dimensions of China's 'Third Party' between the early 1920s and the World War II Era".

Bettina WILHELM

Independent scholar, film-maker

Abstract:

My grandfather Richard Wilhelm lived and worked in Qingdao for more than 20 years between 1989 and 1920. He came to China as a missionary, but he was no ordinary missionary. Instead of baptizing Chinese people, he brought back to the West the treasures of Chinese wisdom with his translations.

The psychiatrist C.G. Jung said about him: Richard Wilhelm opened himself up to be captured and shaped by this foreign culture of the East. He dived deep into Chinese wisdom in a way, that he brought back to Europe not only a true and precise picture of it in his spirit, but in his whole being.

Richard Wilhelm ́s most important translation – the translation of the Book of Changes - showed, that this old Chinese book of overwhelming importance could cross the borders to the Western world. Because it ́s wisdom concerned humanity - the relation between Cosmos and Man.

He could never have achieved this translation alone. He was lucky to be able to work together with one of the foremost Chinese scholars of the period, Lao Nai-hsüan. Lao was in the posession of profound knowledge of the traditions of the I Ching.

Let me quote Richard Wilhelm ́s account of the translation, as it was published in the preface to the first German edition of the "I Ging" in 1924: "The translation of the Book of Changes was begun nearly ten years ago. After the Chinese revolution (of 1910), when Qingdao became the residence of a number of the most eminent scholars of the old school, I met among them my honoured teacher Lao Nai-hsüan... He first opened my eyes to the wonders of the Book of Changes. Under his experienced guidance I wandered entranced through this strange and yet familiar world. The translation of the text was made after detailed discussion. Then the German version was re-translated into Chinese and it was only after the meaning of the text had been fully brought out that we considered our version to be truly a translation."

Biography:

Bettina Wilhelm was born in 1952 in Shanghai, China. She is a film director, writer and producer, known for the films Julies Spirit (2002), All of Me (1990) and Wisdom of Changes - Richard Wilhelm and the I Ching (2011). After studying Psychology at the University of Basel, Switzerland and film at the London Middlesex Polytechnic she also worked in theatre and organised Masterclasses with renowned directors. Her film documentary Wisdom of Changes – Richard Wilhelm and the I Ching reflects her grandfather´s life and his significant contribution in providing mediation of traditional Chinese Philosophy and the Yijing to the West. The film juxtaposes historical footage with modern-day China, highlighting the enduring relevance of traditional wisdom in contemporary society, providing a personal perspective on historical events and cultural exchanges.

Lauren PFISTER

Emeritus Professor, Hong Kong Baptist University

Abstract:

While the creation of the "three books" of Richard Wilhelm's I Ging: Das Buch der Wanderlungen (1924) was an extraordinary event in the context of European foreign language translations of the Chinese classic, the Yìjīng《易經》, here I will focus on a little-known fact of Wilhelm's practice of Chinese divination using the Yìjīng text for what appears to be seeking pastoral discernment during the years from 1917 to 1920 regarding various persons in the small German Christian community during the Japanese occupation of Qīngdǎo.

I will show images of these recorded castings of hexagrams, explaining some of the symbols and their significance as being part of his pastoral notebook. Additionally, I will discuss the use of other aleatory practices in the Hebrew Scriptures [Hebrew (gôrāl רוֹגָּל [( and the New Testament Greek (ho klēros ὁ κλῆρος, klēroō κληρόω ). Finally, I will indicate three impacts of this Christian practice that later affected him. First,. the fact of his German translation of the term, shèngrén 聖, as the German equivalent to "saint" within the Yìjīng and the Yìzhuàn《易傳》. In addition, I will point out how that spiritual tone was "translated out" of Carl Bayne's English rendering, replacing "saint" with "sage". Finally, I will point out that in 1924 Wilhelm changed his Chinese surname (from 尉 to 衛) to indicate his self-consciousness related to this presentation of the I Ging.

Biography:

Lauren Frederick Pfister is a comparative philosophical and comparative religious researcher, a Christian theologian, and scholar of "Confucianism" or Ruist philosophy and religion. His interdisciplinary interests have included translation hermeneutics, religious and philosophical studies in contemporary China, studies of the renderings of Ruist and Daoist classics into European languages, pedagogical philosophy, philosophy of technology, the history of Chinese philosophical traditions, and comparative wisdom studies. Currently he is the Rector of the Hephzibah Mountain Aster Academy in the Colorado Rockies, a non-profit public charity in the USA that focuses on developing cross-cultural learning opportunities and mentoring programs for researchers at the graduate level and also for those who are university faculty members. Due to his thirty years of teaching in Hong Kong, he has been granted the status as Professor Emeritus at Hong Kong Baptist University, where he served as a faculty member of the Religion and Philosophy Department from 1987 to 2017. In addition, he is a founding fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of the Humanities. He was awarded the honor of "Distinguished Scholar" at the Tenth International Symposium on the History of Christianity in Modern China.

Michael HARRINGTON

Associate Professor, Duquesne University

Abstract:

Richard Wilhelm based his interpretation of the Book of Changes on the Qing-dynasty Zhouyi Zhezhong, which contains within it the Song-dynasty commentary of Cheng Yi (1033-1107). Despite misattributing Cheng Yi's commentary to his brother Cheng Hao, Wilhelm engages Cheng Yi throughout his own work. At times he presents Cheng Yi's interpretation as an alternative to his own, at times he copies Cheng Yi's work into his own commentary, and at times he diverges strikingly from Cheng Yi. Overall, Wilhelm's incorporation of the "universal law of fate" into his own work dovetails nicely with Cheng Yi's perspective, whereas his frequent references to God and an "invisible world" show that he does not entirely share Cheng Yi's metaphysics.

SHEN Heyong

Professor, City University of Macau

Abstract:

The author will present this paper from three perspectives: 1, Jung and Richard Wilhelm; 2, Richard Wilhelm and the I Ching; 3, The I Ching and Analytical Psychology, exploring their imagery and significance.

Jung and Richard Wilhelm. Jung and Wilhelm met in November 1920 during the inaugural conference of the School of Wisdom in Darmstadt, Germany. They connected instantly, feeling an immediate and deep affinity. In 1921, Jung invited Wilhelm to the Psychological Club in Zurich, Switzerland, to lecture on the I Ching. During the lecture, Wilhelm performed a divination to inquire about the future development of analytical psychology. Jung believed their meeting was fated, describing it as "destined to be one of the most meaningful events of my life." In Jung's view, Wilhelm not only embodied the spirit of the East but also conveyed it with his entire being, presenting a true image of the Orient. In 1929, Wilhelm wrote an article titled "My Meeting with C.G. Jung in China" for Jung's Zurich Psychological Club, analyzing the encounter through three symbolic and unconscious psychological lenses. Thanks to Wilhelm, Jung discovered a treasure within Chinese culture, which he integrated into analytical psychology, leaving a profound and lasting impact.

Richard Wilhelm and the I Ching. Wilhelm translated numerous Chinese cultural classics, spreading the wisdom of Chinese culture globally and presenting the image of a kind, upright, wise, and gentle Chinese identity. Jung regarded Wilhelm's "greatest achievement as his translation and interpretation of the I Ching." Wilhelm's work on the I Ching was the result of a serendipitous encounter with Lao Nai-hsüan, an event that Jung believed was fated. Through the I Ching, Wilhelm gradually entered the depths of Chinese culture, experiencing a resonance and spiritual connection. Jung commented, "Wilhelm strove to open the door to understanding the symbolic significance of the I Ching's original text."Jung often expressed his deep gratitude for Wilhelm's guidance on the complexities of the I Ching and for the insights he provided on its application and practice.

The I Ching and Psychoanalysis. Wilhelm and his translation of the I Ching held profound significance for Jung. The text inspired many of Jung's concepts, including his later development of "synchronicity" and his search for a method to communicate with the unconscious—an intuitive approach. Jung referred to this technique as an "intuitive technique" or "technique for grasping the total situation", a principle found within the I Ching. Shortly after Wilhelm's I Ching was published, Jung encouraged his student Cary F. Baynes to translate it into English. Initially, Baynes worked under Wilhelm's direct guidance. After Wilhelm's passing, Jung became the primary advisor for the translation. In 1949, Jung wrote the foreword for the English edition, reflecting his fundamental understanding of the I Ching and its relevance to psychoanalysis.

In December 2023, we hosted the 10th International Forum on Analytical Psychology and Chinese Culture in Qingdao, Shandong Province. The theme of the conference was Heartfelt Influence and Transformation: The I Ching and Analytical Psychology, commemorating the 150th anniversary of Richard Wilhelm's birth. In August 2025, the 23rd International Congress for Analytical Psychology will be held in Zurich, Switzerland. The conference theme, Experience of the understandable: Jung and Jungians' Contributions, will celebrate the 150th anniversary of Jung's birth. Both events continue the efforts of Jung and Wilhelm to build a bridge between Eastern and Western cultures, as well as exploring the wisdom of the I Ching and its contemporary significance.

Biography:

Shen Heyong, Professor and Ph.D. Supervisor at South China Normal University and City University of Macau, Founding President of the Chinese Federation for Analytical Psychology (CFAP), current President of the Guangdong Association for Analytical Psychology (GAAP) and the Oriental Academy for Analytical Psychology; Jungian Analyst certified by the International Association for Analytical Psychology (IAAP), Sandplay Therapist certified by the International Society for Sandplay Therapy (ISST), founding member of the International Society of Embodied Imagination (ISEI) and the International Association of Expressive Sandwork (IAES); speaker at the Eranos East and West Roundtable Conference, and the Fay Lecture, advocated the Psychology of the Heart; the primary organizer and host for the International Conference for Analytical Psychology and Chinese Culture from 1998-2023, and the main initiator and promoter of the Heart & Soul Garden Charity Project.

ZHANG Wenzhi

Professor, Shandong University

Abstract:

The I Ching (Book of Changes) occupies a very significant position in C. G. Jung's mind, which was closely related to Richard Wilhelm's active recommendation and introduction of the I Ching wisdom. Jung contended that Wilhelm's grasp of the living meaning of the text gives his version of the  I Ching a depth of perspective that an exclusively academic knowledge of Chinese philosophy could never provide. Inspired by the oracle, Jung delved in the research of the unconscious and set forth many terminologies related to his analytical psychology, such as synchronicity, archetype, archetypal images, persona, shadow, anima, animus, Self, individuation, mandala, extraverted, introverted, complexes, and so on. These terms are also correlated to the cosmology and ontology conceived in the I Ching. Encouraged by Jung, Cary F. Baynes undertook the translation of the I Ching into English from Wilhelm's German version. In Baynes's translation, the above-mentioned terms are frequently employed, by which we can see Baynes' translation of the I Ching is ubiquitously influenced by Jung and his analytical psychology. However, the philosophy conceived in the Yijing can further make Jungian analytical psychology more perfect and help us construct a peaceful world in which each individual can attain to a sound sate of both body and mind.

Biography:

A professor and deputy director of the Center for Zhouyi & Ancient Chinese Philosophy at Shandong University, Wenzhi Zhang now is also the Executive Editor-in-Chief of the academic journal of Zhouyi Studies. Having received his B. A. in English Language and Literature in 1990 from Shandong University, he obtained his M. A. in 2002 and PhD in Chinese philosophy in 2010. Focusing on the studies of image-numerology of the Yijing, he was selected and invited to be a 2007-08 academic year visiting scholar at Harvard-Yenching Institute and a 2012-13 visiting fellow in Erlangen-Nuremberg University, Germany. Since 2002, as the author of four books related to the Yijing and translator of the book of An Introduction to the Zhouyi (Book of Changes), he also published over 30 articles in refereed journals. As an expert at Jungian analytical psychology, he was appointed as a part-time professor of applied psychology by City University of Macau in 2018. 

Tze-ki HON

Professor, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai Campus

Abstract:

It is well known that the I Ching, first published in 1950 by the Bollingen Foundation, is "a translation of a translation." But current scholarship has shown that it is more than an English rendition of the I Ging by Richard Wilhelm (1873-1930). In addition to the idiomatic prose of Cary F. Baynes (1883-1977) that made Wilhelm's writings accessible to the Anglophone world, the I Ching was adorned by an inspiring foreword by Carl Jung (1875-1961) that connects the Book of Changes to his analytical psychology. While this threefold collaboration—Wilhelm's German text, Jung's psychological theory, and Baynes's English prose—is widely accepted as the foundation of the I Ching, it is not clear why and how these three creative souls would work together. In this essay, I will trace the complex process by which Wilhelm, Jung, and Baynes joined in creating a text that not only explained the philosophy of the Book of Changes, but also addressed a fundamental question in the Western world after WWI—how the modern man could find a soul in an industrialized and individualized society. Adopted a chronological approach, this essay will be divided into three parts: (1) the formation of the Wilhelm-Jung partnership from 1921 to 1928, crystalizing in Jung's long commentary to Wilhelm's translation of the Secret of the Golden Flower; (2) the formation of the Jung-Baynes partnership from 1925 to 1928, when Baynes became an accomplished translator of Jung's psychological writings; (3) the formation of the Wilhelm-Jung-Baynes partnership from 1928 to 1933 in producing the English translation of the Secret of the Golden Flower. Although the Secret of the Golden Flower is not the Book of Changes and Wilhelm died in 1930, I argue that Baynes's translation of the text successfully connected Jung's analytical psychology to the Chinese process cosmology and the Chinese notion of self-transformation. In the I Ching, we find Baynes deploying the same fluid language and the similar set of metaphors in translating the I Ging.

Biography:

Tze-ki Hon is Professor at the Research Center for History and Culture of Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai 519087, China. Concurrently, he is the Dean of Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at BNU-HKBU United International College. Before he relocated to Zhuhai, he taught at City University of Hong Kong, State University of New York at Geneseo, and Hanover College, Indiana. Over the last three decades, he wrote four books: The Yijing and Chinese Politics (2005), The Allure of the Nation (2013), Teaching the I Ching (Book of Changes) (with Geoffrey Redmond, 2014), and Revolution as Restoration (2014). He edited (or co-edited) six volumes: The Politics of Historical Production in Late Qing and Republican China (2007), Beyond the May 4th Paradigm (2008), The Decade of the Great War (2014), Confucianism for the Contemporary World (2017), Cold War Cities (2022), The Other Yijing (2022), and The Cityscapes of Taipei, Hong Kong, and Singapore during the Cold War (forthcoming). His articles have appeared in Journal of Chinese Philosophy, Modern China, Monumenta Serica, and Sungkyun Journal of East Asian Studies.

Dennis K. H. CHENG

Professor, Education University of Hong Kong

Abstract:

Biography:

Dennis K. H. CHENG, Chair Professor of Cultural History at the Education University of Hong Kong, joined the faculty of EdUHK in 2012 after retiring from the National Taiwan University as a full professor in Chinese Literature for ten years. He was appointed the European Chair of Chinese Studies of the IIAS (International Institute of Asian Studies) at Leiden University (2010-2011) and served as a Senior Visiting Research Fellow of the ARI (Asia Research Institute) at National University of Singapore (2007-2008). His many research interests include the philosophy of the Yijing, the hermeneutic traditions of East Asia, the Chinese intellectual histories of the Pre-Qin and late Imperial periods, as well as the interactions between the Three Teachings. He has authored twelve scholarly monographs and some eighty refereed articles, apart from the editing of thirteen volumes.

John T. P. LAI

Professor, Chinese University of Hong Kong

Abstract:

This paper investigates the cross-cultural reception of the Chinese philosophical/religious classic I Ching (Book of Changes) in postwar American literature. Through a critical analysis of Philip K. Dick's Hugo Award-winning novel The Man in the High Castle (1962), this paper scrutinizes the profound and multifaceted influences of Wilhelm/Baynes's translation of The I Ching and the Taoist alchemical text The Secret of the Golden Flower upon Dick's literary creation. On top of the historical and political implications of the "High Castle", the core metaphor of "Castle" might express additional layers of psychological and cosmological connotations in the Trigram Li (☲), as well as the notions of "Yellow Castle" and "Mandala", presumably inspired by Wilhelm/Baynes's I Ching and The Secret of the Golden Flower, in conjunction with Carl Jung's psychological commentary.

Biography:

Prof. John T. P. LAI received his PhD from the University of Oxford, and is Professor in the Department of Cultural and Religious Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong. His research interests focus on Chinese Christian literature; Translation of religious texts; and Global Yijing (Book of Changes) studies. He has published more than ten books, including An Annotated Anthology of the Yijing Commentaries by the Early Qing Jesuit Joachim Bouvet (2020) and Christian Yijing: A Critical Study and Annotated Edition of Yijing benzhi (Original Meaning of the Yijing) by Lü Liben, a Chinese Catholic Believer in the Qing Period (2024). He is now working on a major research project "The Global Yijing: The Cross-Cultural Translation and Transnational Reception of the Yijing in Western Religion and Literature," Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship, Research Grants Council, Hong Kong. 

Henrik JAEGER

Professor, University of Freiburg

Abstract:

Ever since Wilhelm's I Ching was published a hundred years ago, there have been accusations that it - like other of his translations of Chinese classics of Chinese classics are not 'scientific' although it is always interesting to take a closer look at these accusations.

One of the most recent such criticisms relates to the fact that Wilhelm's interpretation is too 'metaphorical' and too little 'historical' (Rainald Simon, Yijing, 2014). This criticism invites us to analyse Wilhelm's to take a closer look at Wilhelm's handling of the metaphors of the Yijing.

A quick glance at Wilhelm's source Zhouyizhezhong suffices to understand that he uses these metaphors analogously to its great commentators (Wang Bi, Chengyi and Zhuxi) and thus supplied the divinatory text with an authentic German voice. From the perspective of modern metaphor theory (MMT), his interpretation is of the highest scientific quality, as he has succeeded in creating a coherent German textual world.

To summarise:

One of the most recent such criticisms relates to the fact that Wilhelm's interpretation is too 'metaphorical' and too little 'historical' (Rainald Simon, Yijing, 2014). This criticism invites us to analyse Wilhelm's to take a closer look at Wilhelm's handling of the metaphors of theYijing.

Biography:

Dr. Henrik Jäger was born in Hameln/Weser and is operating in the area round Trier and Cologne today. From 1981 to 1984, he completed a professional training in I Ching Counselling with Hildegard Laudi at the Dürckheim Centre in Rütte (Grafschaft Dürckheim). Subsequently, he studied sinology, japanology and philosophy in Freiburg, Würzburg und Munich. In 1997 Henrik Jäger was awarded a doctorate of sinology for his work on the Daodejing Commentary by Chan Master Hanshan Deqing, mentored by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Bauer (LMU München). He then worked as a research associate at different universities. Since 2004 Henrik is also a seminar director and I Ching counsellor for the publishing company Ammann (Zürich). Henrik Jäger (co)authored various books. Henrik complements his expert translations by explanations of the Chinese characters, background information and commentaries. The books published so far: "Mit den passenden Schuhen vergißt man die Füße: ein Zhuangzi-Lesebuch" [In the right shoes one will forget one's feet: a Zhuangzi reader] (2009, paperback 2012) and "Den Menschen gerecht: ein Menzius-Lesebuch" [Righteous towards men: a Menzius reader] (2010). 

WU Lijing

Associate Professor, Hefei Normal University

Abstract:

Cary Baynes made great contributions in the production and reception of Eastern Philosophy, represented specifically by the I Ching (or the Book of Changes), in the English-speaking countries during the time when the West was in turmoil (World War II, Cold War). This paper will focus on the three roles that Cary Baynes played in popularizing the I Ching in the Anglophone world, especially in America. First Cary Baynes worked as a good student and close follower of Carl Jung. She collaborated with H. Godwin Baynes, her second husband, and W. S. Dell to translate Jung's foundational writings on Analytical Psychology into English that prepared herself as an expert in the field of psychotherapy. Second Cary Baynes worked as a competent translator of Eastern Philosophy. She cooperated intermittently with Richard Wilhelm and Jung to translated The Secret of the Golden Flower and the I Ching into English. Then she translated Hellmut Wilhelm's Eight Lectures on the I Ching into English and firmly established the I Ching as both a holy book for the counter-culture hippies and the world classic for the New Age citizens. Third Cary Baynes worked as a cultural mediator in popularizing the Eastern Philosophy in the West. She was closely involved in the activities organized by Olga Froebe-Kapteyn, the forerunner of the Eronas Meeting, and those of Mary and Paul Mellon, the nurturer of the Bollingen Foundation, which played tremendous roles in the circulation of the Eastern Philosophy in the West. In conclusion, Cary Baynes built both linguistic and cultural bridge that made the most eccentric part of the Eastern Philosophy accessible to the West.

Biography:

WU Lijing, is an associate professor of English language and literature at School of Foreign Languages, Hefei Normal University. His research interests lie in the interpretation of the Yijing in the West and the translation of the Yijing by Western missionaries in China. His latest publications include An Introduction to the Interpretations of the Yjing in the Anglophone World (monograph, East China Normal University Press, 2024) and "Historicizing the Yijing in the Anglophone World" (article, in Benjamin Wai-ming Ng (ed.) The Making of the Global Yijing in the Modern World: Cross-cultural Interpretations and Interactions, Singapore: Springer, 2021.)