Victor Xiong Honored by Sun Yat-Sen University

The Department of History at Sun Yat-sen University in China held a conference in honor of WMU Historian, Victor Cunrui Xiong, a specialist on the Urban History of Medieval China. The conference on "The Society and Religion of Sui-Tang and Five Dynasties China," was held in in Guangzhou, China, November 7th -9th, 2008. Dr. Xiong presented the keynote address entitled "Housing in Tang Chang 'an." The meeting was planned by Professor Emeritus Jiang Boqin a specialist in Tang history and art. It was attended by leading scholars of Sui-Tang China from Sun Yat-sen, Wuhan, and Peking Universities, and other institutions of higher learning in People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

During the Summer 2009, Dr. Xiong was in China as a consultant for the Discovery Channel Asia, which is producing on a documentary about Chang ' an, one of the most important ancient capital cities of China. Located at the eastern terminal of the Silk Road, Chang 'an served as capital to the Han, Sui, and Tang dynasty leaders. The city was first constructed beginning about 200 BC at the behest of Emperor Gao Zu; it was destroyed in AD 904. The film is scheduled for release in the US later this year.