Lecture & Lunch: “The Lost Kingdom of Western Xia: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Tangut Civilization” with Venerable Shi Dun-ke 釋頓可 at the Shanghai Club

This lecture is presented in conjunction with the Museum Society’s upcoming trip, “Unfolding the Mystery and Glory of Ningxia: Evolution of a Mighty Empire to World Class Vineyards “. Members and guests are welcome to attend.

In this lecture, Venerable Shi Dun-ke 釋頓可 will begin with an introduction of the recent inscription of the Western Xia Imperial Mausoleums as China’s 60th UNESCO World Heritage Site which has brought this once-forgotten kingdom back into the spotlight. Yet, ever since the Qing dynasty scholar Zhang Shu (張澍) uncovered the bilingual Stele Commemorating the Renovation of the Gantong Stūpa at the State-Protection Monastery (重修護國寺感應塔碑)—inscribed in both Tangut (黨項) and Chinese—our understanding of the Western Xia (西夏), from its script and art to its religious traditions, has steadily reshaped long-held historical assumptions.

Notable examples abound. In the history of printing, the Auspicious Tantra of All-Reaching Union (吉祥遍至口合本續) has pushed back the earliest confirmed use of wooden movable-type printing by at least a century. Politically, the institution of Buddhist monks serving as imperial preceptors, once attributed to the Yuan dynasty, may in fact have originated in the Western Xia. Religiously, though the dynasty lasted barely two centuries (1038–1227), its dual patronage of Sinitic and Tibetan Buddhism left an indelible mark, fundamentally altering the Buddhist traditions of subsequent dynasties (Yuan, Ming, and Qing) and redefining imperial China’s religious landscape.

This presentation will examine the Western Xia through the lenses of its people, history, culture, and religion, providing a comprehensive yet accessible overview of its enduring legacy.

Speaker

Venerable Shi Dun-ke 釋頓可 is a Buddhist monk and a dual-lineage holder in Chinese Buddhism, serving as the 46th generation successor of the Linji School (臨濟宗) and the 34th generation successor of the Qianhua Vinaya School (南山律宗). Combining monastic training with academic scholarship, he holds a Bachelor of Medicine from Sun Yat-sen University and a Bachelor of Buddhist Studies from the Buddhist Academy of China. Currently pursuing a Master of Buddhist Studies at the University of Hong Kong, his research focuses on Madhyamaka philosophy and Tangut Buddhism, with specialized interest in the intellectual history and scriptural transmission of Buddhism in the Western Xia Empire.

Photo credit to Venerable Shi Dun-ke 釋頓可