KINSHING CHAN - About履歴

Great Orme, Northern Wales

Biographical Sketch

Welcome. My name is CHAN Kin Shing陳健成, a Hongkonger. I studied Chinese language and literature at The Chinese University of Hong Kong from 2003 to 2006 and worked a year as a research assistant before entering the Graduate School of the same institute in 2007. During my two years as a graduate student, I extended the focus of my research from Chinese literature to the intellectual history of the late imperial period of the country, with a special interest in the thoughts of Ming China (1368-1644/1661) Confucians. I then earned my master’s degree by submitting a thesis titled A Study of Statecraft Ideals in Ming China by Statistical Analysis of Collections of Statecraft Writings on jingshiwenbian經世文編 in June 2009. Currently, my research focuses on how Confucian classics(jing經) were taken care of by Ming scholars, the relationship between texts and self-cultivations, and the role of these texts in multiple disciplines in Ming time, so as to review the importance of Confucian classics in premodern Chinese cultural history.

I was deeply impressed by the achievements of Japanese sinology in history, known as kangaku漢学 in Japanese since I was an undergraduate student. Learnings of Edo Japan (1603-1868) Confucians are also examined to review the difference in the transformation of Confucian ideas and interpretation of Confucian classics between the two countries. As a sinologist, I challenge myself to author a trilogy of introductory books of Japanese history. The first one which is about Edo Japan was published in 2023 summer.

Engaging in communications between colleagues of Sinological and East Asian studies in Asia and the West is most enjoyable for me. I have translated a dozen academic papers and six books relating to Chinese and Japanese intellectual histories, from Japanese and English to Chinese and English.(This list is updating.) I am passionate about learning methods and tools of digital humanities which can boost or rather are crucial for my future research.

I seldom remember that I have been enthused about modern archery until my wife reminds me that we first met in an introductory course of it. But I indeed can never forget that I was lucky enough to be the worst student of Master Lam Wing-kit林永傑師傅 who has unreservedly taught me various styles of Chinese martial arts, for example, Eagle Claw. Apart from being a researcher and translator, now I enjoy films as well as answering my eleven-year-old daughter’s curiosity about the world.

Research Interests and specialisations

Confucianism in Sung, Yuan, Ming China (960-1661) and Edo Japan (1603-1868).
Intellectual and cultural exchanges between Ming-Qing China and Edo Japan.
Translations between Chinese(traditional and simplified), English and Japanese.

Current positions

August 2025-

Center of Death & Life Studies and Practical Ethics, University of Tokyo

Researcher 研究員

For positions held, conference presentations, scholarships and research grants, professional training received, and affiliations, please refer to the full CV here.

日本語の履歴書はこちらへどうぞ。