The Thomas Wade Society
About Us
The Thomas Wade Society is an alumni organisation for all those who have studied or been involved with Chinese at the University of Cambridge. This involvement can range from having studied the tripos to research and teaching in China-related areas.
The aim of the Society is twofold. Firstly, to promote contact between Cambridge Chinese studies alumni through a combination of events (in the UK and China) and newsletters/updates. Secondly, to encourage contact between alumni and current Chinese studies students, staff and researchers at Cambridge. We have set up a Society page on Facebook.
Sir Thomas Francis Wade, GCMG, KCB (25 August 1818 to 31 July 1895) was a British diplomat and sinologist. He was the first Professor of Chinese at Cambridge and produced a syllabary in 1859 that was later amended, extended and converted into the Wade-Giles Romanisation for Mandarin Chinese by Herbert Giles in 1892.
The year of the Thomas Wade Society's foundation, 2009, coincides with the University's 800th anniversary year and the 150th anniversary of Sir Thomas Wade's romanisation system for Mandarin Chinese.
Patrons
- Dr Kerry Brown - Senior Fellow, Chatham House
- Professor Christopher Cullen - Director, Needham Research Institute
- Sir William Ehrman KCMG - British Ambassador to the People's Republic of China
- Professor David McMullen - Professor Emeritus of Chinese
- Professor Peter Nolan - Sinyi Professor of Chinese Management, Judge Business School and Chair of the University of Cambridge's Development Studies Committee
- Professor Roel Sterckx - Chair of Chinese, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
- Professor Hans van de Ven - Professor of Modern Chinese History and Chairman, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Faculty Board
- Dr Boping Yuan, University Senior Lecturer in Chinese Language and Linguistics, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
News
The current plan is to hold a Society launch event in Cambridge this autumn. More information will be posted in due course so please check this page regularly.
If you would like to get involved with the Society, please contact the Chairman, Tom Oldham (Downing, 2004) at tomoldham@cantab.net or the Secretary, Ben Caldecott (Selwyn, 2006) at ben.caldecott@cantab.net.
*For those who have paid for the dinner which was originally planned, we shall be in touch shortly to refund the £18 difference in ticket price.
Sir Thomas Francis WADE (1818-1895)
The first holder of the Chair of Chinese at Cambridge