Research on Ancient Uyghur Literature: Academic Series of Minzu University of China

Author: Geng Shimin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-12-01
Features: Professor Geng Shimin's book Studies on Ancient Uyghur Literature (approximately 440,000 words) was published and released by the Minzu University of China Press in December 2003. This is the second collection of essays following Collected Essays on Xinjiang History and Culture (2001, Minzu University Press). Professor Geng Shimin is a renowned Turkologist and Uyghurologist in China. He received the research fellowship from the German Humboldt Foundation (Humboldt-Stiftung) in 1981 and the prestigious scholar award in 1992, and the gold medal from the International Altaic Association (PIAC) in 2000. Additionally, he has been elected as an honorary academician of the Turkish Language Research Institute and serves as a vice president, standing committee member, and advisor in various academic institutions both domestically and internationally. The book includes more than 30 essays published in Chinese, English, and German over the past two decades both domestically and internationally. These works are specialized studies on the Uyghur (ancient Uyghur) language, script, literature, and religion (Buddhism, Manichaeism, Nestorianism) based on the unearthed materials from Turpan and Dunhuang. They hold significant academic value and have been well-received by the international academic community. For example, several essays titled Studies on the Hami Uyghur Script focus on the research of ancient Uyghur Buddhist dramas (also the earliest dramatic works in China, dating back to the 8th century), pushing forward China's dramatic history by several centuries. The article A Study on the Syriac Script Uyghur Nestorian Stele Discovered in Yangzhou is of great significance for researching the spread of Nestorianism (a branch of ancient Christianity in Asia) in the Yangtze River basin of China. The essay A Study on the Uyghur Manuscript of a Destroyed Manichaean Monastery Unearthed in Turpan is the first research on a Uyghur Manichaean manuscript originally preserved at the University of Hamburg in Germany. It illustrates the historical development of ancient Manichaeism (a dualistic religion founded by the ancient Persian Mani in the 3rd century, advocating the struggle between light and darkness) in the ancient Uyghur region from prosperity to decline (8th to 12th centuries). Additionally, the book includes essays written by him on introductions to world-renowned Uyghurologists and institutions.