Join the Brown University Library on Monday, April 29 from 1 – 2 p.m. in the Hecker Room at the Rockefeller Library or on Zoom for a presentation by the two inaugural Gardner Fellows. This special event showcases the culmination of their intensive research into the rare East Asian materials housed within the University’s distinguished special collections.

Zoom link: https://brown.zoom.us/j/93707735503

Zoe Yu ’27

Harmonizing Ideologies: Representations of Christianity in Late Qing China

This research studies Christianity that was at the heart of the most notable cultural conflicts in China, particularly from the Taiping Rebellion of 1851–1864 to the Boxer Rebellion of 1899–1901. Through a linguistic, musical, and visual examination of two documents from Brown Library’s special collections, the so-named 1907 “Chinese Hymnal” compiled by American missionaries, and a Chinese artist’s 1871 illustrated rendition of English Puritan John Bunyan’s 17th-century novel The Pilgrim’s Progress, Zoe Yu ’27 sheds light on the endeavors of missionaries, musicians, and artists to sinicize Christianity and navigate linguistic and ideological barriers in promoting national salvation during the tumultuous late Qing Dynasty.

Jared Ong ’25

A Tale of Two Travelers: Imperial China Through Travel Literature in the Late Qing Dynasty

This study compares two travelogues in Brown University’s Gardner Collection — 鴻雪因緣圖記 (A Wild Swan’s Trail: The Travels of a Mandarin) by Lin Qing in 1849, and 唐土名勝圖會 (Famous Sights of the Chinese Land) by Okada Gyokuzan in 1805 — and examines the contrasting visions of China in late imperial China from Chinese and Japanese perspectives. Through the mapping and analysis of depicted scenes in both sources and a comparative analysis of their provenance, we uncover not only a vibrant tapestry of Chinese life, but also these two travelers’ perspectives on the final vestiges of the last imperial dynasty of China.

Gardner Fellowship

Established in 2023, the Gardner Fellowship encourages Brown students in all disciplines to venture beyond traditional academic boundaries to explore, interpret, and integrate these unique materials into contemporary scholarship and discourse.

This event is a testament to the creativity and scholarly dedication of the fellows, supported by the Brown University Library. It’s an opportunity to witness how the integration of rare materials can enrich academic research and contribute to a broader understanding of our cultural and historical heritage.

We invite students, faculty, and anyone with an interest in East Asian studies, rare materials, and innovative scholarship to attend. Come and be part of a dialogue that bridges the past with the present through the insightful work of our Gardner Fellows.