UM to confer honorary doctorate on Jia Pingwa

The University of Macau (UM) will confer a degree of Doctor of Letters honoris causa on the writer Jia Pingwa for his contributions to Chinese and world literature. The conferment ceremony will be held on Wednesday 22 March, starting at 4:00pm. Following the ceremony, Jia will give a Doctor honoris causa Lecture, titled ‘Contemporary Literary Writing in Chinese’, to share his thoughts on contemporary Chinese literature with UM faculty members, students, and members of the general public.

Jia’s masterpieces include Qin Qiang, Fei Du, and Fu Zao. His works have been translated into more than 20 languages, including English, French, German, Swedish, Russian, Japanese, and Korean. He has received numerous prizes for his works, including the Pegasus Prize for Literature for Fu Zao, le Prix Femina Étranger for Fei Du, as well as the Mao Dun Literature Prize and the Dream of the Red Chamber Award for Qin Qiang. In 2012, Jia received the title of ‘The Chinese Writer with the Most International Influence’. In 2013, Jia received the L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France. Jia is one of the few greats in Chinese contemporary literature and one of the few Chinese writers who can measure up to the league of world-class writers. He currently serves as the vice president of China Writers Association and the president of the Shaanxi Writers Association.

The talk will begin at 4:00pm in Room G078, Anthony Lau Building (E4). It will be conducted in Mandarin, with simultaneous interpretation into English. For registration, please visit https://isw.um.edu.mo/evm/register/UMDHC. For enquiries, please reach Ms Chan or Mr Wong at 8822 8181 or 8822 9259.

In addition, UM’s Department of Chinese Language and Literature and the Macau Association of Literary and Artistic Critics will co-organise a seminar on Jia’s literature on Thursday 23 March. Well-known literary critics from Shanghai, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, namely Wu Jun, Li Jikai, Li Guoping, Luan Meijian, and Ji Jin, as well as more than 40 literary researchers from Macao will attend the seminar to exchange ideas on Jia’s literary works and career.

Source: Communications Office