Postgraduate Experiences

Monica Kin-ian, CHANG 曾健欣
Ph.D., Year 1
The First Northeast Asia Social and Cultural Forum in Harbin, Heilongjiang [December 2019]

The First Northeast Asia Social and Cultural Forum was held in Harbin, China on 21st December 2019. It was the first time in my Ph.D. study to present a paper in front of all the experts in anthropology, ethnology, archaeology and regional studies in Northeast Asia. Their papers and the casual talks with them have enriched my understandings of these disciplines and strengthened my belief in adopting an interdisciplinary approach in my dissertation.

This forum was followed by a field trip to a Manchu village in Yingchengzi Manzu Xiang 營城子滿族鄉 in Wuchang city五常市 in Heilongjiang province. I have visited a Manchu family and have a short talk with them. This was also my first time to visit a Manchu family and talk to real Manchu people. This experience was very different from textual studies on them. I feel the warmth (both from the people and the heated kang 坑, bed-stove in Northeast China, inside the house) amidst the snowing scenery.

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Chengyi Zhou - Workshop in Zhuhai, Guangdong on Manchu Studies (November 2019)