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Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

 
East Asian Studies
Emeritus Professor of Chinese
Email address: 
Telephone: 
+44 (0)1223 335098
Fellow of: 
Robinson College
Director of Studies at: 
Robinson College
Biography: 

After having studied for several years in China (Tianjin) and Hungary, I received my Ph.D. from UC Berkeley with a dissertation on the orthography of Chinese writing during the Warring States period. Following my graduation I started working for the International Dunhuang Project at the British Library and became involved in the study of Dunhuang manuscripts and the manuscript culture of medieval China in general. After 10 years at the British Library, I came to Cambridge in 2012. 

I have been President of the European Association for the Study of Chinese Manuscripts and am sub-editor for medieval China for the Encyclopedia of Manuscript Cultures in Asia and Africa compiled at the University of Hamburg. 

Teaching responsibilities: 

Professor Galambos taught undergraduate literary Chinese as well as courses on Chinese history, relating closely to his research work.

Supervision information: 

I regret to say that I no longer accept new graduate students. So please do not apply.

Research interests: 

Medieval China; Dunhuang studies; history of Chinese writing; Chinese manuscripts and epigraphy; contacts between China and Central Asia; Tangut studies; history of the exploration of Central Asia.

My current book project is on the codicology of Dunhuang manuscripts from the 9th-10th century, focussing on the influence of non-Chinese written traditions on Chinese manuscript culture.

I am currently holding weekly research meetings on the topic of Dunhuang studies, where participants discuss their research and benefit from the input of others.

Current PhD students

Mia (Ye) Ma: Court, Monastery and Workshop: Refashioning Water-moon Avalokiteśvara Paintings in late Goryeo Korea and Yuan China.
Phra Kiattisak Ponampon: Dunhuang Manuscript Pelliot chinois 2078: A Study of Meditative Praxis and Visionary Experiences
Junfu Wong: Transethnical and Transcultural Patronage: Ethnic Interaction and Structural Organization in Local Communities of Guanzhong Region Northern Wei China
Manjun (June) Zhang: Religions in Medieval China

Articles, Book Chapters etc

She association circulars from Dunhuang Antje Richter (ed.) History of Chinese Epistolary Culture pp. 853–877 (2018)
Graphic variation in early Chinese Writing Gábor Kósa (ed.) China Across the Centuries: Papers from a Lecture Series in Budapest pp. 33–59 (2017)
The Chinese Script Wiebke Denecke (ed.) & Wai-Yee Li (ed.) & Xiaofei Tian (ed.) Oxford Handbook of Classical Chinese Literature (1000 BCE-900 CE) pp. 31–45 (2017)
Confucius and Laozi at the altar: Reconsidering a Tangut manuscript Studies in Chinese Religions, 2.3 pp. 237–264 (2016)
Confucian education in a Buddhist environment: Medieval manuscripts and imprints of the Mengqiu Studies in Chinese Religions, 1:3 pp. 269-288 (2015)
Manuscripts and printing: East Asia Jonathan A. Silk (ed.) & Stefano Zacchetti (ed.) Brill’s Encyclopedia of Buddhism pp. 968–978 (2015)
Non-Chinese Influences in Medieval Chinese Manuscript Culture Zsombor Rajkai (ed.) & Ildikó Bellér-Hann (ed.) Frontiers and Boundaries: Encounters on China’s Margins pp. 71–86 (2012)
The northern neighbors of the Tangut Cahiers de Linguistique – Asie Orientale, 40 pp. 69–104 (2011)