The Tang Research Foundation

Tang Research Foundation - Background, July 2008
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The Tang Research Foundation (TRF) is a United States private foundation organized in 1991. The mission of the TRF is to provide support for first-class academic research on all aspects of traditional Chinese history and culture, focused mainly on the Tang dynasty era. This support is provided primarily for activities in China which would not otherwise be funded, although some significant grants have been made to US based institutions.

On an annual basis the TRF publishes The Journal of Tang Studies, the world's leading academic journal of scholarly research on all aspects of Tang dynasty society, history, archeology, and culture. It is a multi-disciplinary journal which publishes research from leading scholars in China, Japan, the United States, and Europe. In 2007 the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences of the National Science Council in Taiwan selected The Journal of Tang Studies as one of the ten best China history journals, in the company of Cultural Relics, Archaeology, and seven others. The Journal of Tang Studies is edited by Rong Xinjiang, Professor of History at Beijing University. The editorial principles supporting Tang Research have been explicated by Rong Xinjiang in his article "Tang Research" Editorial Policies and Other Objectives, published in Tang Dynasty History Research, 2000, volume 3 (in Chinese). This article is available on the TRF web site www.tangrf.org.

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The TRF also publishes the series Selected Works on the Tang. This is an on-going series of volumes, each of which is a magnum opus work of a renowned Chinese scholar on topics related to Tang society, history, archeology, or culture. Each year anywhere from one to a maximum of three volumes are published. The works to be published are selected at the preceding year's Annual TRF Conference by a vote of the TRF Advisory Committee of senior Chinese scholars. To date, the following books have been published in this series (in chronological order):

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Wang Yongxing - Research on Northwest Military Affairs of the Early Tang Dynasty

Zhou Yiliang, Zhao Heping - Research on Tang and Five Dynasties Letter-Writing Models

Zhang Zexian - Research on Tang Dynasty Industry and Commerce

Jiang Boqin - Dunhuang Art, Religion, and Ritual Music Culture

Hu Rulei - Essays on Sui, Tang, and Five Dynasties Social and Economic History

Chen Shangjun - Collected Investigations of Tang Dynasty Literature

Zhang Gong - The History of Han and Tang Buddhist Temple Culture (2 volumes)

Xie Siwei - Collected Essays on Bai Juyi

Hao Chunwen - The Social Life of Dunhuang Monks and Nuns in the Later Tang, Five Dynasties, and Early Song

Wu Yugui - Research on Relations between the Turkish Kingdom and the Sui and Tang Dynasties

Shi Nianhai - Research on Tang Dynasty Historical Geography

Qi Dongfang - Research on Tang Dynasty Gold and Silver

Ikeda On - Collected Selection of Tang Research Papers

Dong Zhiqiao - Research on the Vocabulary of Ennin's "A Record of a Pilgrimage to China in Search of the Law"

Sun Jimin - A Beginning Exploration of Tang Dynasty Military Documents from Dunhuang and Turfan

Hu Ji, et alia - Tang Research in the 20^th Century

Lin Wushu - Tang Dynasty Nestorianism Researched Anew

Shi Yuntao - Research on the Tang Dynasty Mufu Military Governance System

Zhang Zexian 每 Agriculture in the Han, Jin, and Tang Periods (2 volumes)

Yu Xianhao 每 A Study of the Nine Temples Government Office in the Tang

Li Zhenlun 每 Research on Surviving Song and Yuan Dynasty Wood Block Editions of Hanyu＊s Works

Qi Dongfang and Lin Meicun, eds. 每 Dulan Tufan Tombs

Wang Qing 每 The Influence of Western Regions Culture on Chinese Classical Novels

Qi Dongfang 每 Collected Essays on Sui Tang Archeology and History
Huang Zhengjin 每 Research on Chinese Late Tang Society and Government


The TRF Advisory Committee, 2000 Annual Meeting, Beijing ﹛
On an annual basis the TRF convenes a conference of its Advisory Committee. This is a group of distinguished Chinese scholars from all parts of China who have been elected to the committee by a vote of their peers. Current members of the committee are: ﹛
Chen Shangjun	Professor Fudan University Chinese Department
Fu Xuancong	Professor, China Publishing Bureau
Ge Xiaoyin	Professor, Beijing University Chinese Department
Ge Chengyong	Professor, Northwest University
Han Wei	Director, Shaanxi Archeological Institute
Hu Ji	Professor, Shaanxi Normal University History Department
Jiang Boqin	Professor, Zhongshan University History Department
Jin Weinuo	Professor of Art History, Central Academy of Fine Arts
Li Bincheng	Director Sui Tang Song Yuan Research, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Luo Feng	Director, Ningxia Archeology Institute
Ma Shichang	Professor, Beijing University Archeology Department
Qi Dongfang	Professor, Beijing University History Department
Rong Xinjiang	Professor, Beijing University History Department
Wang Bangwei	Dean of Oriental Studies, Beijing University
Wang Binhua	Xinjiang Archeology Institute
Wang Kefen	Dance Research Institute, Arts Academy of China
Wang Su	China Cultural Relics Bureau
Wang Xiaofu	Professor, Beijing University History Department
Wang Yao	Professor of Tibetology, Central Institute for National Minorities
Wu Yugui	History Researcher, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Wu Zongguo	Professor, Beijing University History Department
Xu Jun	Deputy General Editor, Chinese Government Book Bureau
Xu Pingfang	Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Yan Huizhong	Professor, Shanghai Normal University History Department
Zhang Gong	Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Zhang Guogang	Director, Nankai University History Department
Zheng Xuemeng	Professor, Xiamen University History Department
Zhu Lei	Professor, Wuhan University History Department
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	The most notable example was the sponsorship by the TRF in 1998 of the 100^th Anniversary of Beijing University Conference on Traditional Chinese Culture. This conference was the largest and most significant gathering of scholars of traditional Chinese culture ever held, and over 300 scholars from around the world participated. As part of the funding, the TRF sponsored the publication of a series of four conference volumes covering philosophy, literature, history, and language. A further four conference volumes were published in 2000 covering additional research into archeology, history, language, and philosophy.

    A second notable example was the sponsorship of the 1999 Silk Road archeological excavations at Dulan, Qinghai province.
   A third notable example was the TRF sponsorship of the 1997 International Academic Discussion Conference on Tang Research, and the publication of two books of papers from that conference.

The TRF has provided partial funding for many other academic conferences in both China and the United States to such institutions as the University of Chicago, Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton, Stanford, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Another significant project is the TRF＊s support of continuing research into the Field Museum＊s world class collection of Chinese rubbings (2006-8).

Most recently the TRF established the Sinor Inner Asia Exchange Program in cooperation with Indiana University and Beijing University (2008).

	On two occasions the TRF has made significant endowment grants to institutions in the United States. The TRF endowed the Harrie Vanderstappen Distinguished Service Professorship chair in Chinese Art History at the University of Chicago, as well as an accompanying visiting professorship. ﹛
The TRF has also endowed funds for continuing research into Chinese art history at the Freer/Sackler National Museums of Asian Art in Washington, D.C.
The TRF has also funded the publication of many other useful academic works, including Li Chaoyuan＊s collection of essays on Chinese bronzes (2007), Denis Sinor＊s collection of essays on Central Eurasian history (translated into Chinese, 2006), Luo Feng＊s collection of essays on Silk Road archaeology (2004), Between Han and Tang (volumes I and II, 2000 and 2001), indices, and other research. ﹛

The activities of the TRF in China are managed by Luo Xin, Professor in the History Department of Beijing University and a member of the Center for Research on Ancient Chinese History (also at Beijing University). Luo Xin also serves as non-voting chair and secretary of the annual meeting of the TRF Advisory Committee.

The TRF maintains a Chinese language web site at www.tangrf.org. The web site includes information on TRF activities, information on recent work in the field of Tang dynasty studies, downloadable essays by Chinese scholars, indices of The Journal of Tang Studies and Selected Works on the Tang, searchable electronic versions of Tang dynasty source documents, and other selected material.