This talk begins with an overview of the interconnection between literature and philosophy in modern Chinese literature. Then, it probes into the three existentialist allegories in Fortress Besieged (1947), a philosophical novel written by Qian Zhongshu, a polyglot scholar of East-East comparative literature and philosophy. The novel’s overarching allegory, i.e., a fortress besieged, will be compared in juxtaposition with several philosophical allegories about the mutability and limitations of human life in Western philosophy. This talk concludes with a reflection on the seminal influence of this novel in contemporary Chinese society where “fortress besieged” has become an everyday word referring to one’s existential crisis. Event date: 9/2/2023 Speaker: Dr. Heidi Huang (Lingnan University) Hosted by: Confucius Institute of Hong Kong
