At the end of May the Library hosted former British Library curator Dr. Frances Wood, who spoke at several events as part of the Library’s centennial celebrations.
Dr. Wood presented a lecture on Buddhism, Christianity and the Silk Road, explaining the travel of religions, commodities, people and ideas along the Silk Road to nearly one hundred and fifty people. Commodities such as spinach, grapes and cucumbers made their way to China, while medicinal rhubarb was exported from China to central Asia.
She was also noted that the “Silk Road” is a European-centric term, and that those from Asia might identify it better as the Jade Road, for it’s pre-silk commodity from Khotan (3000 BCE). Her engaging talk highlighted the movement of Buddhism from India to China, and other religions such as Manicheanism, Zoroastrianism and Islam.
The webcast is available on the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre’s webcasts portal for those want to view the talk.
While in Vancouver, Dr. Wood also participated in an informal interview/conversation with Dr. Timothy Brook, a UBC History professor and Chair in Chinese Research at the Institute of Asian Research. The pair discussed their mutual experiences as students in China during the Cultural Revolution.
For those who missed the events, pictures are available on the Library’s Flickr page.