Program overview
Chinese Classical Philology, simply put, is the study of ancient Chinese books. You might wonder: with so many ancient texts, how do we know which ones are authentic or which editions are more reliable? This major teaches you to act like a detective, using methods such as edition studies, bibliography, collation, and authentication to restore the original appearance of ancient texts. Core courses include Introduction to Chinese Classical Philology, Edition Studies, Bibliography, Collation, Paleography, Phonology, Exegetics, and practical skills like digitization of ancient texts. Who is this for? If you enjoy classical Chinese, have patience for historical details, and are willing to spend time in libraries or at computers comparing texts and tracing origins, this major will be rewarding. Many Chinese universities have deep expertise in this field—for example, Peking University, Fudan University, and Nanjing University all have dedicated ancient books research institutes with rich collections and renowned faculty. Additionally, institutions like Zhonghua Book Company and Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House often collaborate with universities to offer internship opportunities.