June 26, 2020

NUS University Professor Wang Gungwu has been honoured with the 2020 Tang Prize for Sinology, for his pioneering research in the field of diasporic Chinese history. Awarded biennially, the Tang Prize is presented by the Taiwanese Tang Prize Foundation to laureates in the fields of Sustainable Development, Biopharmaceutical Science, Sinology, and Rule of Law.

Born in Indonesia, Professor Wang was brought up in Malaysia where he did his History bachelor’s and master’s degree at the University of Malaya. He then completed his PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Professor Wang is a decorated academic who holds multiple positions in institutes all over the world.

Esteemed as a pre-eminent expert in the field of Sino-Southeast Asian historical relations, Professor Wang has been praised for his remarkable method of discerning China through the country’s intricate relationships with its Southeast Asian neighbours. Sinology, as described by him, is not only the study of China’s past, but also the country’s present global advancements and its reunification with its history. Professor Wang considers China’s positionality in the world as a crucial area of focus for present and future studies of Sinology.

Some of Professor Wang’s works on Sinology that involve Singapore studies include Home is Not Here (2018), “The Great Powers in Asia: A View from Singapore” (Strategy: Global Forces 2007 Proceedings, 2007), “Two Perspectives of Southeast Asian Studies: Singapore and China” (Discovering Southeast Asia: Genealogies, Concepts, Comparisons, and Prospects, 2005), and China and Southeast Asia: Myths, Threats and Culture (1999).

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