The Crescent Moon Symposium

Friday, May 4th
 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. UCLA Faculty Center 

Marking the 100-year anniversary, this event examines the lives of four Chinese intellectuals who epitomized the vibrant East-West exchanges sparked by China's May Fourth Movement.

The symposium explores the lives of philosopher Hu Shih 胡适 (1891-1962), poet Xu Zhimo 徐志摩 (1897-1931), scholar/Shakespearean Liang Shiqiu 梁实秋, writer/painter Ling Shuhua 凌淑华 (1900-1990), and their literary communities. The quartet of bilingual intellectuals were members of the Crescent Moon Society 新月社, established as a counterpart of the Bloomsbury Group of England.

Invited speakers include:

• Tony S. Hsu, Xu Zhimo’s grandson and author of Chasing the Modern

• Sasha Su-Ling Welland (U of Washington), grandniece of Ling Shuhua and author of A Thousand Miles of Dreams: The Journeys of Two Chinese Sisters

• Susan Chan Egan, co-author of A Pragmatist and His Free Spirit: The Half-Century Romance of Hu Shi and Edith Clifford Williams

• Michelle Yeh (UC Davis), author of Modern Chinese Poetry: Theory and Practice since 1917

The symposium will also feature a round table discussion of the Crescent Moon Society and its Bloomsbury connection, along with bilingual readings, songs, slides, and documentaries. Panel participants include:

• Liu Cong UCLA Visiting Scholar

• Michael Berry, UCLA Department of Asian Languages and Cultures

• King-Kok Cheung, UCLA Department of English

• Louise Hornby, UCLA Department of English

Presented by the UCLA Division of Humanities and the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, with support from the Department of English, Center for Chinese Studies, Asian American Studies Center, Center for the Study of Women, International Institute, Asia Pacific Center, Institute of American Cultures, and the Confucius Institute.

This event is free and open to the community. Parking is available in Lot 2.
Click here for more information on the symposium and here for directions.

photo credit: Lucretious