The Institute for Research in Humanities held its second summer seminar for high school students, entitled "An Invitation to the Culture of Chinese Characters", at The Center for Informatics in East Asian Studies (CIEAS).
The event was designed to introduce the next generation of researchers to the excitement and depth of Chinese characters through easy-to-follow lectures, so that they might develop a strong interest in the overall culture of using these symbols. A total of 23 high school students attended, some of whom came from as far away as the Kanto and Kyushu regions.
After a welcome speech by CIEAS Director Itaru Tomiya, two professors from the Institute for Research in Humanities gave lectures on the overall topic of "Chinese Characters are NOT Just for Practicing Penmanship!" The first of these was presented by Professor Ryoichi Inami, and entitled "Is the Correct Reading 'Tairabayashi' or 'Hirarin'?: Playing with the Unique Traits of Chinese Characters", while the second by Professor Tokimasa Takeda was on "A Classical Chinese Scholar's Beloved Equation: Mathematics in Characters". These were followed by a guided tour of the host facility. A lively discussion took place during the final segment of the event, in which participating students eagerly asked questions and expressed their views.
Comments left by the seminar participants included: "I learned much more than I had imagined based on the title of the event", and "It made me want to become a researcher at Kyoto University".
From left: Professor Inami, Professor Takeda, and CIEAS Director Tomiya
The Chinese character seminar in session
