Speaker
Lei LI | Associate Professor, School of Foreign Studies, Nankai University; BC Ricci Institute–HYI Joint Visiting Researcher Fellowship Program, 2025-26
Chair
M. Antoni J. Ueerler, S. J. | Associate Professor, History, Boston College; Director, Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History
Discussant
Elizabeth J. Perry | Henry Rosovsky Professor of Government, Harvard University
Co Sponsor: The Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History at Boston College
This presentation explores how the Protestant, German-speaking Basel Mission shaped the modern overseas Hakka diaspora during the late Qing period by facilitating Hakka migration through its ties with the British colonial government in Hong Kong. It shows how missionaries sustained transnational connections with Hakka communities across Southeast Asia and the Americas. Through these religious networks, Christianity became a key resource for adaptation and the formation of a shared diasporic identity.
Upcoming Events
Conference
Designers of Mountain and Water: Alternative Landscapes for a Changing ClimateThursday, February 5, 2026
Visiting Scholar Talks
Where is Home? The Basel Mission and the Modern Overseas Hakka Diaspora (1860-1924)Thursday, February 5, 2026
Visiting Scholar Talks
Paper Currency in the Early Ming Period Observed via Questions and Answers on the provincial ExaminationWednesday, February 11, 2026