This is a first for LKL. After more than 15 years online, we’re organising our first ever event!
Having sat through rather too many online seminars which I logged on to because they happened to be available, I suddenly realised that I really didn’t find many of them all that interesting. And then I discovered a range of talks on Korean heritage and culture that I’d really like to attend, but the lecturer needs a fee. So I thought I’d team up with LKL readers and share the cost of these talks. This is something of an experiment, and if the first one works without too much hassle, I’ll fix some more.
Note that the talk is officially billed to last for an hour and a half, but the speaker sometimes has so much to say that he overruns, so be prepared to stay until 8:30pm.
Korean Neo-Confucianism and its Shrines
Speaker: Professor David A Mason
Tuesday May 18th, 6:30pm – 8:00pm (or maybe even 8:30pm) UK time
Cost: £9 | Register via Eventbrite
Learn about the history and unique characteristics of Korea’s Neo-Confucianism and its Academy-Shrines, virtually from home, in the company of your lecturer-guide Professor David Mason.
David is an American citizen who has lived for 34 years in South Korea, exploring it, leading tours, working in its tourism field and writing about its history & culture. He has served as a Professor of Korean Cultural Tourism at leading universities in Seoul. He has a particular expertise in Korea’s mountain culture and the veneration of the Sanshin. Maybe we’ll organise a lecture-tour on that subject in the future.
He describes his tour thus:
“This is a Live Virtual Tour using live video-conferencing software, featuring my own great photos and live storytelling of artworks and history. Take this guided lecture to learn all-about the fundamentals of Chinese Neo-Confucianism and then the history and unique characteristics of Korea’s Neo-Confucianism. The best of its centuries-old Academy-Shrines (now listed as UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites!) with their spectacular scenery and interesting traditional artworks will be included, with colorful stories of great enlightened “sages”, some of whom have their portraits on Korean money. You will learn so very much, about Neo-Confucianism, medieval & modern!”
Itinerary:
- brief ‘check in’ and mutual introductions
- What is Neo-Confucianism. . . ?
- How it got established in Korea
- Flourishing and unique characteristics of Korean Neo-Confucianism
- The centuries-old Academy-Shrines, featuring the best ones now listed as UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites!, with their spectacular scenery and interesting traditional artworks
- colorful stories of the great enlightened masters appearing on Korean currency
- Controversial Legacy of Neo-Confucianism until today
- ‘Wrap up’ with final questions; your interests will be addressed at anytime — anything from the basics to any advanced details is fine; as a longtime professor of the history of Korean Religions, David can answer!
This will use an online video conference system, and photos shown by PowerPoint on David’s desktop within that. A good internet connection is required to experience this tour, which will be based on David’s own photos in a slideshow.
Note: for Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Safari browser, you will need to download the Highfive application for free from here: https://start.highfive.com/app/download. If you are using the Chrome or Edge browser you shouldn’t need any app. Link to join the talk will be given on registration. There won’t be any recording.
(automatically generated) Read LKL’s review of this event here.