Macau

Date:

  • 17 June 2010

Location:

  • Macau Ricci Institue

Time:

  • 18:00 to 21:30

Cost:

  • Free

Languages:

  • English

Speaker

William Meacham

William Meacham is an archaeologist who has been affiliated with the University of Hong Kong since 1980. Former Chairman (1985-96) of the Hong Kong Archaeological Society, he has written widely on the prehistory of the region. He has conducted numerous excavations in Hong Kong, including the 16-month salvage project on Chek Lap Kok island, and in 1985 directed the major excavation at Hac Sa Wan on Coloane. In 1976 he published the first study of the rock carvings in Hong Kong, and has recently produced an enlarged, bilingual, full color edition. Last year he was appointed one of four advisers to the Hong Kong Government on the conservation of the rock carvings.

Introduction

Recently the Macau Ricci Institute has published a short biography of Fr. Matteo Ricci, S.J., based on a collection of essays presented last year at the Institute by Gianni Criveller, Ph.D., PIME, and César Guillén-Nuñez, M.Phil., respectively, dedicated to the memory of the great pioneer after whom our Institute is named. This modest publication, which would like somehow to contribute to the worldwide commemoration of Matteo Ricci's demise in Beijing in 1610, is intended to inaugurate a series of MRI studies related to the history of the Jesuits in the old China mission. The series will be published under the name of Jesuítas Publication Series and will introduce to the readers such outstanding figures of the past as Alessandro Valignano, Melchior Carneiro and Tomás Pereira. Each title of the series will be available in English and simplified Chinese versions.

The forum was chaired by Artur Wardega, S.J., Director of the Institute. The book launch proceeded with a short presentation by the authors of their essays in the booklet, the publishers, and the comments of Fr. Louis Ha, a scholar invited by the MRI for the occasion.