The Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Hong Kong Shue Yan University recently hosted a public talk by Professor Imre Galambos, Emeritus Professor of the University of Cambridge and Chair Professor at Zhejiang University.

His talk, titled The Dunhuang Manuscripts, used and reused, explored how manuscript paper was repurposed in historical contexts. Drawing on a wide range of textual examples, he challenged the conventional view that such reuse was simply a matter of resourcefulness or waste management, offering instead a more nuanced understanding of manuscript culture.

Following the talk, Professor Galambos joined a roundtable discussion with faculty members from the Departments of Chinese Language and Literature and History. The meeting fostered academic exchange on topics such as teaching, research, and possible future collaboration.

A former curator at the British Library, Professor Galambos spent a decade working with the Dunhuang manuscripts in the Stein Collection, which sparked his deep interest in Dunhuang studies.