Institute Monumenta Serica
The Institut Monumenta Serica is a sinological institute sponsored by the Steyler missionaries , which deals with the culture of traditional China - from the beginning to the end of the Empire (1911). Its origin lies in the sinological journal Monumenta Serica - Journal of Oriental Studies, which was founded in 1935 at the Catholic Fu-Jen University in Beijing by the Steyler China missionary and sinologist P. Franz Xaver Biallas (1878-1936).
history
The first volume of the magazine appeared in 1935. The Latin name of the magazine "Monumenta Serica" alludes to an ancient name for the Chinese - "Seres" ("the silk makers"). As its Chinese title Huayi xuezhi 華裔 學 志 ("Scientific Journal on China and Adjacent Countries") implies, it also takes into account other Asian cultures, especially those that were associated with and influenced by Chinese culture. After the death of founder Biallas, his confreres continued to publish the Monumenta Serica. By 1949, 13 large volumes had appeared in Beijing. Due to the publishers 'and editors' own research activities, the editorial team of the magazine developed into an institute during this time.
In 1948, the institute with most of the editorial library was transferred to Japan to protect against the turmoil of the Chinese civil war, where it remained until 1962 with the intermediate stations Tokyo (1949–1955) and Nagoya (at the Catholic Nanzan University , 1956–1962) . From 1962 to 1972 the institute was located on the premises of the University of California in Los Angeles in the Department of Oriental Languages. In 1972 the Institut Monumenta Serica was moved to its present location on the campus of the Steyler Missionaries in Sankt Augustin . It is close to other teaching and research facilities of the Steyler missionaries: the anthropological Anthropos Institute, the Steyler Missionswissenschaftlichen Institut e. V., the Philosophical-Theological University and the Missionary Seminary.
Activities and further development
The most important task of the institute is the publication of the magazine Monumenta Serica (volume 62 appeared in 2014). The institute also publishes two book series: the Monumenta Serica Monograph Series and the Collectanea Serica. The Monumenta Serica Institute also organizes lectures, exhibitions and scientific conferences to promote knowledge of China among the broader public and to deepen the exchange between Western and Chinese scholars. If possible, the institute also endeavors to conduct sinological research and systematic occupation with Chinese culture by working together with Chinese and Western scientists to promote an East-Western dialogue.
In 2002, the institute and Fu Jen Catholic University, Taipei, founded the Monumenta Serica Sinological Research Center (MSSRC) in Taipei, which aims to promote collaboration with Chinese scientists in Taiwan by holding sinological colloquia and issuing publications.
The institute has its own research library, which can also be used by interested parties for research and research.