Douglas Lancashire Home Page




Issues for Comment or Discussion: taken from
CHRISTENDOM AWAKE by Aidan Nichols.

China Martyrs

A suggested reading list of works related to the study of Urs von Balthasar's theology

Book Review: A Grammar of Consent: The Existence of God in Christian Tradition by Aidan Nichols, O.P.

Reflections

The Da Vinci Code - Two Book Reviews

The Gospels: The Struggle between Fact and Speculation

Book Review: Jesus, Man or Myth? By Carsten Peter Thiede

Book Review, "Hegemon" by Steven W. Mosher, (Encounter Books, San
Francisco) reviewed by Douglas Lancashire. This review may be accessed on
www.theotokos.org.uk/pages/breviews/misc/smosher.html

Book Review:
The Dawkins Delusion
by Alister McGrath with Joanna Collicutt McGrath








Professor

Douglas

Lancashire

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Douglas Lancashire was born in Tientsin (Tianjin), China, and received his early schooling at the Tientsin Grammar School. He graduated BA Hons. ( University of London) in Chinese in 1950, BD (London) in 1954, and MA (London) in Classical Chinese in 1958. He commenced his teaching career at the School of Oriental & African Studies in January, 1945, while serving in the Royal Air Force. Following graduation he was employed by the British, American and Scottish Bible Societies, as their representative in Hong Kong from 1952-1960. While there, he also served as an occasional lecturer in the Philosophy of Religion at Ch'ung Chi College. From 1960-1 he was tutor at the Hong Kong Union Theological College. From 1961-2 he served as Visiting Lecturer in Chinese Language, Buddhism and the History of Chinese Thought in the University of Michigan, USA, and from 1962-5 was Senior Lecturer in Chinese, University of Melbourne, Australia. From 1966-1981 he served as Professor of Chinese (Foundation Chair) and Head of Department of Asian Languages & Literatures, University of Auckland, New Zealand.

During 1981-1991 he was Rector of two Church of England parishes in England, but also introduced courses in Chinese in the Department of Languages & Linguistics in the University of Essex. He also served as a consultant on religious terminology for Collins English Dictionary (New Edition). During the years 1991-2 and 1993-4 he was Visiting Professor of Translation in the Department of Translation, Lingnan College, Hong Kong. Following retirement, and during the period he served as a visiting professor in Hong Kong, he became increasingly concerned with developments about the Church of England, and finally entered into communion with the Catholic Church in 1997. He now worships at the parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. George in Enfield, London.

His research interests and publications cover the fields of Chinese literature in the years immediately preceding the fall of the Chinese monarchy in 1911, and interaction between China and the West in the area of religion and thought. He has published and co-authored six books as well as numerous articles and reviews in journals. Although now retired, he continues to work in his fields of interest.

CHURCH LIFE

     I was born and brought up in the Salvation Army, but decided to enter more fully into the life of the Church while in Hong Kong, where I represented the Bible Societies for nine years, and was responsible for the publication of the Scriptures in Chinese for Chinese in all areas outside mainland China. I was therefore baptized, confirmed, and made deacon in St. John’s Anglican Cathedral in Hong Kong (part of the Chinese Anglican Church).  Although I continued to work in universities, I took an active part in Church life, and in Auckland, New Zealand, was ordained priest by Archbishop Paul Reeves, (later Governor-General of New Zealand). In 1981 my wife and I found it necessary to return to England, and I decided to engage in Parish life by becoming Rector of two parishes in the Chelmsford Diocese. After retiring and returning to England from university duties in Hong Kong in 1994, I helped out in an Anglican parish for a while, but events in Anglicanism in recent years led me, like many others, to move into communion with the Catholic Church two years ago, in 1997.

PUBLICATIONS:

Books: 

1. Chinese Conversation in the National Language by  T.C.Chao; London, 1947.         

I was responsible for romanizing the text and for translating much of it into English.

2.   Li Po-yuan, (Twayne/G.K.Hall, Boston), 1981.  This is a study of an important late-Ch'ing (Qing) novelist who sought to reflect changes in Chinese society at the turn of the century.

3.   Chinese Essays on Religion and Faith, (Chinese Materials Center, San Francisco and Taipei), 1981. These essays are designed to give some impression of Chinese attitudes to religion  and issues of faith in the first half of the 20th century.

4.   The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven, by Matthew Ricci.  Translated with  Introduction by D. Lancashire and Peter Hu Kuo-chen S.J., (Institute of Jesuit Sources, St. Louis),1985. (Printed in Taiwan). This work by Ricci was the first major expression of Western thought in China.

5.   Modern Times, by Li Po-yuan (Li Boyuan), Translated with Introduction by D. Lancashire.  (The Chinese University of Hong Kong,  Hong Kong), 1996.The events in this novel are set against the background of the whole nation, and seek to provide vignettes of change in all areas of Chinese society. The foreign presence is felt in virtually every episode.

6.   Sea of Regret and A Strange Case of Nine Murders, by Wu Woyao, Translated with Introduction by D and E. Lancashire. (published privately, 1998). These two novels by a contemporary of Li Boyuan reflect changes in personal and family life, although also set against the background of much of the nation. The author is particularly concerned with the decline in personal and family values.

7.   Abbot Taixu: Chinese Buddhist Reformer, Educator and Missionary, (June, 2000, Unpublished).

COMPLETE LIST OF ARTICLES       

                  1.     "Chinese Language Reform", The Bible Translator, 1957.

2.   "Abbot T'ai Hsu on Christianity", Quarterly Notes on Christianity and Chinese           Religion, III, 2, Hong Kong, 1959. 3.

3.   "How 1 Came to Choose Buddhism", by Yin-shun Fa-shih, (transl.) Quarterly Notes, IV, 2, 1960. 4.

4.   "The Chinese Philosophical Tradition", Hemisphere, 8, 2, Australia, February, 1964. 5.

5.   "Confucianism", The Many Calls to Prayer, University of Western Australia, February, 1965.

6.   "Buddhism in the North", The Many Calls to Prayer, February, 1965. 7.

7.   "A Confucian Interpretation of History", Journal of the Oriental Society of Australia, 3, (1), January, 1965.

8.   "Confucianism in the Twentieth Century", China and Its Place in the World, University of Auckland, 1967.

9.   "Anti-Christian Polemics in Seventeenth Century China", Church History, 38, (2), Chicago, June, 1969. 10.

10. "Buddhist Reaction to Christianity in Late Ming China”, Journal of the Oriental Society of Australia, 6, (1 & 2), 1968,1969. 11.

11. "Asian Language Studies, " The University of Auckland Gazette, April, 1968.

12. "Modern Times",  Renditions, Hong Kong, Spring 1974. 13.

13. "Man, Determined or Free", Colloquium, Australia, 1975. 14.

14. "China Revisited", Education, 6, New Zealand, 1976. 15.

15. "Buddhism in Modern China", Religion in Communist Countries, London, Winter, 1977. 16.

16. "A Note on Chapter 59 of the Wen-ming Hsiao-shih (A Brief History of Enlightenment)", Austrina, Sydney, 1982.

17. Constributions on Fiction and Drama in three volumes on Chinese Literature published by the European Association of Chinese Studies, Brill, Netherlands, 1988-1989. 19.

18. Contributions on Buddhism and Taoism in The Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, 1992.

19. “A Strange Case of Nine Murders: Chapters 1 and II”,  Renditions, Hong Kong, Autumn 2004. 62.

REVIEWS

20.   A.J. Bahm, “The Heart of Confucius.”  Journal of Oriental Studies, Hong  Kong, 11, 1973.

21.    A. Stein, “Tibetan Civilization.”  A.U.M.L.A., 39, 1973. 

22.   .G. Vitale, “Chinese Folklore”, Pekinese Rhymes, Journal of Oriental Studies, 12 (l/2), 1974.

23.     A.R. Davis (ed.), “Search for Identity; Modern Literature and the Creative Arts in Asia”, A.U.M.L.A., 44, 1975.

24.   J. Ching, “Wang Yang-ming”, Journal of Oriental Studies.

25.   Shih Shun Liu (tr.), “Vignettes from the Late Ching.”  Journal of Oriental Studies.

26.   "Preface", in Dov Bing, (ed.), China.  Cultural and Political Perspectives.  Auckland, Longman Paul, 1975.

27.   Theresa Chu and Christopher Lind, (eds.), “A New Beginning.” The China Quarterly, London, 1983.

28.   Archie K. Crouch, “Scholars’ Guide to China Mission Resources in the Libraries and Archives of the United States”,  The China Quarterly , 1985.

29.   Joseph J. Spae, “China Revisited”,    The China Quarterly, 1985.

30.   John Hersey, “The Call”,  The China Ouarterly, 1987.

31.   Bob Whyte, “Unfinished Encounter - China and Christianity.” The China Quarterly , 1989.

32.   Raymond L. Whitehead ed., “No Longer Strangers: Selected Writings of K.H. Ting”,   The China Quarterly, 1991.

                                       

                   Several further reviews of books, chiefly on Taoism, for Religion since 1993

 As will be seen from the above, my research and publications cover the fields of Chinese   literature  in the period immediately preceding the fall of the monarchy in 1911, and interaction between China and the West in the area of religion and thought.    

 

A Western understanding of China

Douglas Lancashire was born and raised in China and his academic career has spanned the universities of London, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Michigan, Auckland and Essex.

He has a specialist understanding of how the Chinese mind views Western culture and religion.

Two examples.

  1. The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven, a translation of Matteo Ricci's extraordinary attempt to explain Christian doctrine in terms of Chinese (Confucian) philosophy. Click here for sample text from the book
  2. Chinese Essays on Religion and Faith, which give an impression of Chinese attitudes to religion and issues of faith in the first half of the 20th century.

 

He is also a keen observer of how the Chinese view the influence (for good and ill) of Western culture.


Just published. China's first modern love story now available in English translation
Sea of Regret co-published with a classic crime story of family feuding A Strange Case of Nine Murders by Wu Woyao (1867-1910) Click here for sample text from the book

Two examples.

  1. Li Po-yuan, a study of an important late-Ch'ing (Qing) novelist who sought to reflect changes in Chinese society at the turn of the century.
  2. Modern Times, a translation of the novel by Li Po-yuan (Li Boyuan) which is set against the background of the whole nation and seeks to provide vignettes of change in all areas of Chinese society. See Renditions Books

He has also published numerous articles. See below for a selection of articles.

Selection of Articles on Website

Douglas Lancashire has published and co-authored six books as well as numerous articles and reviews in journals. Although now retired, he continues to work in his fields of interest.

Email:douglas@lancashire45.wanadoo.co.uk


This selection of articles covers a wide variety of fascinating topics in Chinese studes. The articles can be downloaded in Adobe Acrobat format:


LINKS TO OTHER SITES

Asian Studies on the Internet

Asian Studies WWW VL

The Asian Studies WWWVirtual Library is published by the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, in conjunction with 40 other organizations. New individuals, sites and institutions are always welcome to join this archipelago of networked knowledge.

THE ASIA SOCIETY

The Asia Society is headquartered in New York city, with regional centres in Hong Kong, Houston, Los Angeles, Melbourne and Washington, D.C. Representative offices in Seattle

Version: 7th May 2007


Section Contents Copyright © Douglas Lancashire 1999-2006

Professor Douglas Lancashire