Showing 10 results

Correspondence and information concerning the Royal Asiatic Society North China Branch including information about its beginnings, its closure and subsequent research questions.

• Letter from Joseph Edkins, Secretary, Shanghai Literary and Scientific Society, to Professor Horace Hayman Wilson concerning the formation of the Society and to send a copy of its Constitution. Letter and Constitution handwritten, letter dated 2 December 1857.
• "A Catalogue of the Library of the North China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (Including the Library of Alex. Wylie Esq.) Systematically Classed. By Henri Cordier, Hon. Librarian". Printed pamphlet, printed in Shanghai at the "Ching-Foong" General Printing Office, 1872.
• Postcard sent to Dr. J.C. Fergusson to remind of a meeting that day. Signed [ ] Daly, Honorary Secretary. The postcard bears a hand-painted picture of a Chinese flag-carrier and gong player. Undated, c.1911 (John Calvin Fergusson was President of the Society from 1911-1913).
• Photocopy of a letter from the Honorary Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society, North China Branch, to the Librarian, Royal Asiatic Society, to inform him of the list of articles published by Mrs Ayscough was in the 1912 volume of their Journal. Typed, dated 6 August 1923.
• Correspondence concerning electing a Corresponding Fellow for the Royal Asiatic Society from the Royal Asiatic Society North China Branch - 3 letters from the President, Royal Asiatic Society North China Branch; Arthur de C. Sowerby, elected Fellow; and Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society. Typed, dated 24 September - 1 December 1941.
• Letter from D.E.J. Abraham, Vice-President, Royal Asiatic Society North China Branch, to The Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society, to announce the closure of the North China Branch and the gift of its possessions to the People's Government of China. Typed, dated 19 November 1952.
• Letter from A.J. Hayim to the Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society, to enclose a card from Mr and Mrs Abraham which they requested to be forwarded to the Society. (The card is not with the letter.) Handwritten, dated 29 June 1954.
• Business card of Oliver Edmund Clubb, Consul General of the United States of America, in envelope addressed to Sir Mortimer Wheeler, which is annotated, "Dr. Edmund Clubb, N. China Branch". Undated.
• Correspondence regarding obtaining and republishing copies of the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society North China Branch. Seven letters, typed, dated 22 March 1966 - 4 February 1975.
• Letter from Dennis Duncanson, Vice-President, Royal Asiatic Society, to Fr. Edward J. Malatesta, University of San Francisco, to inquire on information that Malatesta may have of the whereabouts of the former library of the Royal Asiatic Society North China Branch. Typed, dated 9 August 1990.
• Correspondence between Sir Peter Leslie and Dennis Duncanson, Director, Royal Asiatic Society, concerning the papers of Thomas William Kingsmill, member of the Shanghai Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. Typed, 2 letters, dated 4 November - 15 November 1993.
• Correspondence between B.L. Drake and Lydia Collins, Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society, concerning the possessions of Professor F.S. Drake, formerly of the Shanghai Branch. Two letters dated 6 March 1995 - 18 May 1995. The list, "List of Dr Drake's Collection stored in the Shanghai Museum (R.S.A.) Shanhghai" is with the letters. This is on fax paper and very faded, dated 31 May 1951.
• Correspondence between Eric N. Danielson, Education Consultant and Historian, and Adrian Thomas, Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society, to inform regarding the former library of the Shanghai Branch of the Society which Danielson has discovered in the Shanghai Library and which is due to be put on public display. Two copies of emails, dated 26 -28 November 2002.

Established as the Shanghai Literary and Scientific Society, in 1857, the Society became affiliated to the Royal Asiatic Society the following year, becoming the Royal Asiatic Society (North China Branch). This material was collated in the interaction of the two Societies; the closure of the North China Branch and subsequent questions regarding it closure; and in its reopening and re-establishing links with the Royal Asiatic Society.

Governance, administrative, and event material from the Royal Asiatic Society China in Shanghai and some material from their interaction with the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

Royal Asiatic Society China in Beijing was established in 2013. The archival material is:

• Letter from Professor Anthony Stockwell, President, Royal Asiatic Society, to Mr Alan Babington-Smith, President, Royal Asiatic Society China in Beijing concerning the proposed change of name for the Society in Beijing. Typed, one piece, dated 30 October 2018.

This material covers other events organised, given or attended by Society members. These are:

20 and 25 January 2007 - Visit to Huqingyutang Apothecary

• Publicity for the visits to learn about the Medicine Men of Hangzhou.
• Itinerary for the visits.

23 January 2007 - Rotary Club Lecture

• Copy of the lecture given by Judith Kolbas, Vice-President, to the Rotary Club concerning the move of the Royal Asiatic Society China to Shanghai.

29 May 2007 - Visit to the Tea Fields at Meijiawu near Hangzhou

• Announcement for the visit to the tea fields at Meijiawu.
• Details of the Visit.
• Itinerary for the Visit.

2017 - Visit to the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland

• Postcard from Officers of "Shanghai RAS Library" to Edward Weech, Librarian, Royal Asiatic Society, to thank for the tour of the Royal Asiatic Society Library. Handwritten, dated 8 August 2017. The image on the postcard is of "Lane 481, Taixing Road, a shikumen longlang".

Minutes and Agendas from Committees of the Society:

• List of Committees, undated.

Finance Committee

• Royal Asiatic Society of Hangzhou - Shanghai, Finance Committee Agenda, undated [2006]'
• Royal Asiatic Society Shanghai, Report on Finances, 19 April 2007.
• Royal Asiatic Society Shanghai, Report on Finances, 31 May 2007.

Library Committee

• Royal Asiatic Society Shanghai, North China Branch RAS Library Report, 2 June 2007.

Membership Committee

• Royal Asiatic Society of Hangzhou - Shanghai, Membership Committee, Agenda, undated [2006].

Scholarship Committee

• Royal Asiatic Society of Hangzhou - Shanghai, Scholarship Committee, Agenda, undated [2006].

Files concerned with membership of the Society:

• Draft Membership Prospectus - leaflet explaining the purposes of the Society and how to become a member, undated.
• 'ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY - Shanghai – List of Fellows, Last up-date: 25 May 2007' list of Fellows as of 25 May 2007.

Administrative documents and correspondence concerned with the governance of the Society:

• 'Message to those considering reforming the Asiatic Society in Shanghai' from Professor Francis Robinson, President, Royal Asiatic Society, dated 6 March 2006.
• Letter from Judith Kolbas, President, RAS China in Shanghai, to Geoffrey concerning his recent visit and advice on building the library of the Society, dated 24 July 2006.
• Correspondence concerning the visit of Dr Liu Wei, Honorary Vice President, Royal Asiatic Society, Shanghai Branch, to the Royal Asiatic Society. Copies of emails and letter confirming invitation, dated 15 January -17 January 2007. (Note these are physical documents.)
• Letter from David E. Mungello, Professor of History, Baylor University, to Judith Kolbas concerning the Xujiahui Library and the possibility of books from the former RAS North China Branch being within the library, dated 15 March 2007.
• Royal Asiatic Society, Shanghai, Sponsorship Strategy, A Working Paper, dated 6 June 2007.
• Letter from Rebecca, HSBC (China) Bank, to Judith Kolbas to arrange a meeting for the 3 July 2007.
• HSBC Priorities - a list of points to be considered at the meeting of 3 July 2007.
• 'Articles on China' - a list of articles taken from the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society for possible inclusion in a book on China. It is unclear whether this is a potential RAS Great Britain project or RAS China in Shanghai but the material was part of the donation from Judith Kolbas.
• 'RAS In-House Co-ordinator' - job description, undated.
• 'ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY - Shanghai - Objectives of the Society', a description of the objectives of the Society, undated.
• Objectives of the Society - written in Chinese, undated.
• 'RAS NEWSLETTER' - article by Judith Kolbas concerning the meetings of the Society in Hangzhou and their aim to have the Society registered with the official channels in China, undated.
• '222 Years Royal Asiatic Society' - prospectus concerning the possible re-establishment of the North China Branch in Hangzhou

The Society holds regular General Meetings at which a speaker delivers a lecture. The material in this subseries concerns both general administration for these meetings and minutes and lecture details for individual events.

General Administration

• 'Royal Asiatic Society - Shanghai – Lectures and Activities' - list of events from March 2006 - June 2007.
• Invitation to speakers - an invitation to interested parties to lecture at the Society, 2007.
• 'Lecture Programme' - administrative document concerning the organisation of lectures in 2007.
• 'Royal Asiatic Society - Shanghai – Activities in Shanghai' - list of events from May - October 2007

Individual Meetings
22 June 2006

• General Meeting Minutes for the meeting.
• Introduction to the speaker Zenaida des Aubris.
• Publicity for the lecture by Zenaida des Aubris.
• Photograph of Zenaida des Aubris.

16 November 2006

• Introduction to the speaker Dr Tianxiang Zhan.
• Summary of the life of John Leighton Stuart as publicity for the lecture (Publicity 1).
• Publicity for the lecture giving details of the event (Publicity 2).

13 December 2006

• General Meeting Minutes for the meeting.
• Introduction to the speaker Maria Blanco Facal.
• Publicity for the lecture by Maria Blanco Facal (please note that this is dated as 14 December 2006).

17 January 2007

• General Meeting Minutes for the meeting.
• Introduction to the speaker Judith Kolbas.
• Publicity for the lecture by Judith Kolbas.

15 March 2007

• General Meeting Minutes for the meeting.
• Introduction to the speaker Li Yanfeng
• Publicity for the lecture by Li Yanfeng giving details of the lecture and venue (Publicity 1).
• Publicity for the lecture by Li Yanfeng giving details of the lecture (Publicity 2).

18 April 2007

• General Meeting Minutes for the meeting.
• Introduction to the speaker Betty Wei.
• Publicity for the lecture by Betty Wei giving details of the lecture (Publicity 1).
• Publicity for the lecture by Betty Wei giving details of the lecture and venue (Publicity 2).

23 May 2007

• General Meeting Agenda for the meeting.
• General Meeting Minutes for the meeting.
• Introduction to the speaker Paolo Sabbatini.
• Publicity for the lecture by Paolo Sabbatini giving details of the lecture and venue.

24 June 2007

• General Meeting Minutes for the meeting.
• Introduction to the speakers Beth McKillop and Jane Portal.
• Publicity for the lectures by Beth McKillop and Jane Portal giving details of the lecture and venue.

21 October 2007

• Introduction to the speaker Peter Hibbard.
• Publicity for the lecture by Peter Hibbard giving details of the lecture and venue.

Council Minutes and Agendas for the Society:

• Agendas for September 2006, 21 September 2006, 14 December 2006, 18 January 2007, 15 March 2007, 19 April 2007, 23 March 2007 and 24 June 2007.

• Minutes for 21 September 2006, 19 October 2006, 14 December 2006, 15 March 2007, 19 April 2007 and 23 May 2007.

• List of Council Members undated