ROBERT VAN GULIK NOW! at Dutch Days in Shanghai

ROBERT VAN GULIK NOW! takes centre stage at Dutch Days in Shanghai on the 20th and 21st of April 2013

The ROBERT VAN GULIK NOW! committee together with the Shanghai Normal University and the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Shanghai will hold an extensive programme on the 20th and 21st of April 2013 to celebrate the life and works of the legendary Dutch writer, sinologist and diplomat, Robert van Gulik and his influence on Chinese culture today. Robert van Gulik (1910 – 1967) revived the celebrated Judge Dee stories which serve as a reference to traditional Chinese culture throughout the world today.

The events will take place during the Dutch Days, an initiative of the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Shanghai. The programme will kick off with an International scientific conference entitled ‘The Dutch Mandarin: Robert van Gulik’s place in contemporary Chinese Culture’. Eight professors from renowned universities including Harvard, Tsinghua and Leiden, will present their papers on the influence of Robert van Gulik in China today. The conference aims to preserve and continue the dialogue on the importance of the van Gulik works in China today with a focus on his ground-breaking studies on Judge Dee, the Chinese lute, the gibbon and his studies on sexual life in ancient China.

The conference will be followed by a public event at the Minsheng Art Museum entitled “Yuan Fang, what do you think?”, echoing the latest web craze which mobilized 2.5 million Chinese netizens in October 2012 confirming the fame of the Judge Dee stories in China today. The public event will explore the impact of Robert van Gulik on Chinese popular culture today.

Finally, an exclusive reading, supported by ABN AMRO, will feature the daughter of Robert van Gulik, Pauline van Gulik, who will read a special extract from the Judge Dee at work stories at the prestigious Fairmont Peace Hotel.

All events are co-organised by the ROBERT VAN GULIK NOW! committee and are supported by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Shanghai, Shanghai Normal University, ABN AMRO, KLM, BSUR, Marco Klein, Fairmont Peace Hotel, 2666 Library, Minsheng Art Museum, and Hainan Publishing House.