XVIII Biennial Conference of the European Association of Chinese Studies (EACS)
Riga, July 14th – July 18th 2010
"Culture is a Crowded Bridge"
The left side of the webpage's heading shows the parallel spot on the 18th-century Qingming shanghe tu, kept in Taipei, the right side is an 18th-century panorama of Riga with the pontoon crossing the Daugava at the place of present day's Akmens tilts (Stone Bridge) - a strategic point during a decisive battle in 1919, which soon let to the foundation of the first independent Latvian state.
Anyone who enters the Baltics through Riga has to cross several bridges, real and metaphorical ones: traveling from the airport to the city centre you can’t avoid one or two.
English will become your pontoon once you cross the whirling word-waters of Riga’s multilingual life: Latvian, Russian, Belorussian, Ukrainian and – at least visible on historical facades – German.
The key for the 18th EACS conference was found in the image of the bridge as a man-made intersection that attracts, bundles and releases a diversity of destinations. Approaching a bridge one often becomes attracted by its uniqueness. No bridge can be doubled because each is the only connection between two spots on the shores of transient time. Each is constructed, some are destroyed by men, some are overthrown by urgent floods, and others remain bizarre spots in wastelands once forgotten by most travelers. Chinese culture, in the most comprehensive sense of the word, holds a manifold abundance of such often quite unsimilar bridges. One of them is currently built in the Baltics and visiting the EACS in Riga you will have a chance to meet some of the pioneers anchoring its first pillars.
Latest Programme Updates
Saturday, July 17th
- Q3, 15:00 PM, Room 363 - Borevskaya Nina - Comparing School Curriculum in Ancient and Medieval China: Some Lessons for the Present
Sunday, July 18th
- Closing ceremony starts at 9:30 AM in the Great Hall
- Boat trip -
- Closing ceremony starts at 9:30 AM in the Great Hall
- Boat trip -