Presentations

Computational Sociology: Different Angles Different Rainbow

Date: 12 April, 2019

Place: School of Physics, Peking University

Abstract:

All of the different colors of the rainbow are very recognizable and memorable to all who observe them – different angles and different scenes. Unfortunately, in scientific sphere, this common sense is conventionally understood as nominal rather than substantial.

• Computational sociology is a branch of sociology that uses computationally intensive methods to analyze and model social phenomena. Using computer simulations, artificial intelligence, complex statistical methods, and analytic approaches like social network analysis, computational sociology develops and tests theories of complex social processes through bottom-up modeling of social interactions.
• Novel insights always stem from encrypted puzzles with no beginning and no ending. Changing the angles would finally help us penetrate to the deciphering puzzles and the essence of reality.

Cracking the Nut: Different Angles Different Rainbow

Date: 14 February, 2019

Place: Department of Electronic Engineering & Beijing National Research Center for Information Science and Technology (BNRist), Tsinghua University

Abstract:

All of the different colors of the rainbow are very recognizable and memorable to all who observe them – different angles and different scenes. Unfortunately, in scientific sphere, this common sense is conventionally understood as nominal rather than substantial.

• Novel insights always stem from encrypted puzzles with no beginning and no ending.
• Changing the angles would finally help us penetrate to the deciphering puzzles and the essence of reality.
• Tapping our heads, questioning ourselves – miss out on?

Blind Guci Musicians in Ancient Chinese Imperial Courts: a Cultural Puzzle

Guci art and blind court musicians, each shedding light on the significance of the other, appear in literature from Chinese antiquity. Those blind pioneers played a role in epic history while other blind people lived rather constricted lives. They are credited with having “magical auditory and tactile sense, prodigious memory, keen discernment and proficiency in temperament” in historical paradigms. Unfortunately, those blind artists have contributed greatly to the development of Chinese culture, especially in music – but hitherto their work has not yet been properly valued. This presentation recovers the fascinating ‘missing history’ with detailed extensive documentation, and suggests some reasons why these records and bias in later accounts disappeared from view.

• Why was the post of court musicians traditionally filled by blind persons in ancient China?
• Why could those blind musicians be monarch courtiers like other scholar-bureaucrats?
• Can their talents be considered irreplaceable by that of their rival sighted counterparts?
• Are they endowed with contributing musical performances only for hedonics?
• What’s the gendered meaning of those court musicians?
• …

Supporting Information:

• This precious audio snippet featured the original record of the radio programme “Yongkang Guci” on August 28, 2009. This programme was a routine radio show from 12:30 am to 13:00 pm produced by the Yongkang People’s Radio at FM 106.6. In this record, the special guest star was the old famous blind Yongkang Guci artist TONG Zhao-ji (童兆基) (1938- ) from the Heng-yang village, Tang-xian Town, Yongkang city, who contributed to this authentic Yongkang Guci show in local Yongkang dialect.
•  Audio file in mp3 format:
  • A precious audio snippet featured the original record of the radio programme “Yongkang Guci” on August 28, 2009. (54 downloads) (Note: Members only. Only logged in users will be able to access the file via this download link.)
• The earliest known Neumatic notations of Guci with Ba-ban style appeared in the English statesman and writer Sir John Barrow’s travel notes in 1804.
•  Source:
  • Chinese Popular Airs. No. III. In: John Barrow (1804). Travels in China: Containing Descriptions, Observations, and Comparisons, Made and Collected in the Course of a Short Residence at the Imperial Palace of Yuen-Min-Yuen, and on a Subsequent Journey Through the Country from Pekin to Canton. p. 319. London: T. Cadell and W. Davies.
• Audio file in MIDI format:
  • The earliest known Neumatic notations of Guci with Ba-ban style appeared in the English statesman and writer Sir John Barrow’s travel notes in 1804. (35 downloads) (Note: Members only. Only logged in users will be able to access the file via this download link.)

Key References

Definition of Cultural Heritage

• Blake, J. (2000). On Defining the Cultural Heritage. The International and Comparative Law Quarterly, 49(1), 61–85.  On Defining the Cultural Heritage

Space Heritage Law

• Hertzfeld, H. R., & Pace, S. N. (2013). International Cooperation on Human Lunar Heritage. Science, 342(6162), 1049–1050. doi:10.1126/science.1243607  International Cooperation on Human Lunar Heritage-Science

Cultural Tourism

• Lawler, A., 2003.  Bringing Cultural Heritage Out of the Shadows. Science, 302 (5647), 975–977.
• Lawler, A., 2003.  Iran Reopens Its Past. Science, 302 (5647), 970–973.
•  Pass the salt, 2007. Science, 317 (5839), 729a–729a.
• Silberberg, T., 1995.  Cultural tourism and business opportunities for museums and heritage sites. Tourism Management, 16 (5), 361–365.
• Lawler, A., 2009.  Iraq Museum May Reopen Amid Controversy. Science, 323 (5914), 570b–571b.

Recommendation on International Principles Applicable to Archaeological Excavations (1956)

• Burns, G. (1991). Deterioration of our cultural heritage. Nature, 352(6337), 658–660. doi:10.1038/352658a0  Deterioration of our cultural heritage-Nature

Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (1954)

• Balter, M. (2000). Artifacts Prompt Tug-of-War. Science, 287(5450), 33b–33. doi:10.1126/science.287.5450.33b.   Artifacts Prompt Tug-of-War-Science

• Walsh, J. (1974).  Soviet-American Copyright Deals-Better Where Barter Is Possible. Science, 186(4166), 805–807. doi:10.1126/science.186.4166.805
•  Universal Copyright Convention. (1953). Nature, 171, 956.

• Steward, J. H. (1934).  The American Treaty on the Roerich Pact. Science, 80(2078), 375–376. doi:10.1126/science.80.2078.375

“With time rolling on, everything fell into oblivion in the history, and it is visionary endeavor that will finally help us penetrate to the essence of reality.”

— Zhiwen Hu