Time, Space, And Media Digital and Interdisciplinary Humanities Workshop IV
Historical Maps and Digital Storytelling: HKUST Library’s Special Collections and Digital Endeavors
Ms. WANG Yifan Assistant Librarian, Lee Shau Kee Library, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
How might we critically examine and interpret historical maps through a digital lens? This session explores the HKUST Library’s Special Collections of Antique Maps, demonstrating how these primary sources are transformed from static artifacts into dynamic scholarly narratives. Drawing upon the Library’s recent exhibitions and projects, such as the “China in Maps” exhibition—featuring Western printed maps from the 16th to 19th centuries—and the Augmented Reality (AR) project “Tales from a 1493 World Map” collaboratively developed with students, we illustrate the interplay between archival preservation and digital innovation. We will explore how to leverage these rare materials and the Library’s digital scholarship services to enhance research projects and visualize history in the digital era.
A Comparative Analysis of the American Boxer Indemnity Scholarship Program and the China-US PhD Examination and Application Programs
Ms. LIU Dongqian PhD Student, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Historically, there have been two important waves of Chinese students who studied in the US. First, 1,417 Chinese students selected and sponsored by the American Boxer Indemnity Scholarship Program (ABISP) studied in the US, especially at the tertiary and post-tertiary level, from 1909 to 1944. Second, 1,831 Chinese students selected and sponsored by China-US PhD Examination and Application Programs (CUSPDEA) in Physics, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Math,and Social Science also began their PhD studies in the United States, during the decade 1979-1989. This study conducts a comparative analysis of these two waves of students to advance our understanding of the history of science and education in both China and the US, and how these students transformed universities in both countries from isolated academic ivory towers to springboards of commercial as well as intellectual pursuit.
