Chairman of UTAR International Advisory Council receives the Distinguished 2020 Tang Prize in Sinology

On 20 June 2020, it was announced by the Tang Foundation that Professor Emeritus Dato’ Wang Gungwu, a renowned historian, won the highly distinguished 2020 Tang Prize in Sinology. This was in recognition of his pioneering and trailblazing work on China World Order, Chinese overseas and the Chinese migratory experience.

The Tang Foundation noted that Prof Wang, who is a graduate from the School of Oriental and African Studies at University of London, is an expert in the interpretation of how China views the world. In a statement released by the Tang Foundation, Prof Wang was lauded for his unique approach in understanding China by scrutinising its long and complex relationship with its southern neighbours.

It also mentioned that his work had modern implications, in which it showed that it is an “integration of a variety of histories, including the history of Chinese overseas, of China’s relation with the outside world, of South-East Asia, and of commerce and maritime history.”

Born in Surabaya in 1930, Prof Wang grew up and received education in Malaya (now Malaysia), and later pursued advanced studies in London where he graduated with a PhD degree from the University of London in 1957. His subsequent academic appointments brought him to Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia and the United States. He was president of the University of Hong Kong from 1986 to 1995, a visiting fellow at Oxford's All Souls College, a Rockefeller visiting fellow at the University of London and a recipient of the Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1991. Currently, he is a university professor at the National University of Singapore. Prof Wang is also currently the Chairman of the UTAR International Advisory Council, a post he has held for many years. He has been giving insightful advice and suggestions for the further development of the University. In addition, he has also actively participated in various Universities activities.

In July 2010, at the International Conference on Malaysia-China Relations organized by UTAR and Xiamen University, Prof Wang was the first keynote speaker at the conference. Then in August 2013, Prof Wang chaired the first two keynote lectures at the 8th International Society for the Studies of Chinese Overseas (ISSCO) Conference hosted by the UTAR Institute of Chinese Studies.

At UTAR’s 18th Convocation ceremony held at UTAR Kampar Campus in March 2014, Prof Wang was the Guest of Honour for Session One of the convocation. He gave invaluable advice and shared his experiences in his speech to the graduates. These are some of his main academic contributions and involvement with the University, among many others.

UTAR is indeed proud of Prof Wang’s accomplishments and congratulates Prof Wang on winning the prestigious 2020 Tang Prize in Sinology.

 

About Tang Prize

Established by Taiwanese entrepreneur Dr Samuel Yin, the biannual Tang Prize consists of four categories, namely Sustainable Development, Biopharmaceutical Science, Sinology and Rule of Law. It aims to promote the interaction and cooperation between cultural and technological research so as to find a 21st century path to the sustainable development of the world. For more information, please visit the prize's official website at https://www.tang-prize.org/en/first.php