Studies on Ming-Qing fiction are encountering new opportunities and challenges in the era of expanding interdisciplinary perspectives and accelerating digital transformation. This one-day workshop, “Ming-Qing Fiction: Present and Future,” brings together scholars from diverse academic backgrounds across mainland China and the United States to share their latest research and collectively reflect on the current state, methodologies, and future directions of the field. We ask: How does Ming-Qing fiction interact with various literary genres and media forms? How can insights from other disciplines expand our existing research approaches? How should the studies of Ming-Qing fiction respond to the new technological developments? And finally, how can historical insights from Ming-Qing fiction deepen our understanding of both past and present?

Focusing on themes such as “Genres and Sources,” “Senses and Media,” and “Field Challenges and Pathways,” this workshop seeks to foster in-depth scholarly dialogue to reexamine the multifaceted value of Ming-Qing fiction, along with its potential for creative engagement with contemporary contexts. We look forward to using this workshop as an opportunity to spark more academic collaboration, explore diverse possibilities in the field, and jointly build an open, vibrant platform for future academic exchange.

This workshop is sponsored by the Luce/ACLS Program in China Studies, and in collaboration with the Center for Global Asia at NYU Shanghai.