On the afternoon of 21 March, Prof. Ming-tung Lo from Hong Kong Baptist University gave a talk entitled "Family Instructions Study of Jeong Yak-yong, a Confucian Scholar in Joseon." The lecture was co-organized by FHSS and the Institute for Communication Studies of Chinese Culture (ICSCC) as a prelude to the Symposium on Chinese Culture and Global Communication (22 March), and was held at the picturesque CEFC Academy, hosted by Dr. Jianing Chen, with the participation of Dr. Xiaolong Diao, Dr. Mengqi Li and other faculty members and students.

The lecture discussed in detail the family education thought of Jeong Yak-yong (1762-1836, known as Tasan) and its far-reaching influence. Jeong Yak-yong was a famous Confucian scholar in the Joseon period (1392-1910), and his family education is rich in ideological connotations. In 1801, Jeong Yak-yong was banished due to 'Sinyu Persecution' and lived for 18 years in Gangjin, Jeolla Province. During this time, he kept in touch with his family through letters, which later became important material for the study of his family education thought. He regarded family education not only as Instructions for family members, but also as a general and public discipline. The Four Volumes on Family Precept, written by him and his sons, include "The Basis of Family Regulation," "The Basis of Family Management," "The Basis of Family Thriving" and "The Book of Family Preservation," which cover family ethics, thrift and hard work, study and cultivation of body and character, and other aspects. His family Instructions combine the scholarly achievements of the Chinese and Korean dynasties, citing a large number of allusions from historical figures and the sayings of predecessors, such as The Family Instructions of Master Yan, to explain the norms of family management.

In the lecture, Prof. Lo explained in detail the educational background, doctrinal basis, writing form and ideological connotation of Jeong Yak-yong's family instructions, and elaborated his family education thought which had a profound influence on family education and social norms on the Korean tradition, and its norms are still relevant today. The lecture aroused great interest in the audience, who enthusiastically asked questions and engaged in a lively discussion on such topics as the spread of Confucianism in ancient Korea and others. To conclude the lecture, Prof. Lo took a group photo with the audience.

Prof. Ming-tung Lo is the Chair of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Director of the Research Centre for Chinese Cultural Heritage, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Hong Kong Baptist University, and Chairman of the CDC-HKEAA Committee on Chinese Language Education, Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, Education Bureau, HKSAR (2018- ). He has many research publications, mainly in the fields of Chinese Confucian Classics, East Asian Cross-Cultural Study (including education, health and family precept), and Hong Kong Confucian Classics.

Reporter and translator: Jianing Chen

Photographer: Zhao Ruohan