EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW • 人物專訪 45 2025 UMAGAZINE 32 • 澳大新語 Therefore, shortly after joining UM, he co-founded Journal of Chinese Public History with Prof Wang Di and other scholars. Furthermore, he emphasises the importance of leveraging Macao’s unique historical and cultural resources to build a distinctive academic brand for the department. Reimagining Macao Through Lieux de Mémoire Prof Sun observes that traditional Chinese historiography, exemplified by ancient historian Sima Qian’s aim ‘to explore the relationship between heaven and humanity, and to understand the changes from ancient times to present through history’, emphasises discerning patterns from history. However, since the late 18th century, humanity’s historical development has increasingly been driven by visions of the future. With Prof Sun as editor-in-chief and translator, the Chinese edition of Les Lieux de Mémoire (Sites of Memory) is being published as a 15-volume series. Originally edited by renowned French historian Pierre Nora, this monumental work compiles extensive research on French collective memory and stands as a cornerstone of memory studies in academia worldwide. The concept of lieux de mémoire—a term that combines lieux (places) and mémoire (memories)—refers to places, objects, events, and even abstract ideas that hold collective memory for a society and play a central role in constructing historical narratives. Lieux de mémoire have three main aspects: 1) Material aspect, which refers to the physical existence of a site, such as archives, commemorative rituals, and generational values; 2) Symbolic aspect, which concerns the meanings and associations that people attach to the site; 3) Functional aspect, which refers to the role a site plays in shaping and transmitting memory. As people engage in activities and create memories at sites of memory, history becomes connected to the present, offering valuable insights into the future. While introducing Les Lieux de Mémoire to the Chinese-speaking world, Prof Sun has also incorporated its methodologies into his own research. In Prof Sun’s view, Macao serves as a site of memory that bridges East and West, as well as the past and present. In addition to its World Cultural Heritage sites, Macao’s street names, religions, languages, and customs embody complex and layered memories. Historically, Macao’s development can be divided making a significant impact on both Chinese and international scholarly communities. Prof Sun’s career as an academic organiser began early. During his master’s studies, he assisted his supervisor in compiling the Chinese Social History Series ( 中國 社會史叢書), becoming the youngest member of the editorial team. In 2002, he co-initiated the ‘New History’ movement with Prof Yang Nianqun and other scholars, aiming to revive Liang Qichao’s intellectual legacy. This initiative led to the founding of the journal New Social History, later renamed New History. In 2006, Prof Sun broadened his academic contributions by forming a research team on conceptual history at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies, a prestigious national research institute in Japan, to conduct comparative studies. After returning to China full-time in 2013, Prof Sun focused on Nanjing University’s cultural heritage and its historic symbol, xue heng (學衡). He founded the Xue-heng Institute for Advanced Studies and, over the next decade, edited more than ten book series and journals, including Asian Conceptual History and Xueheng Erya Library. Throughout this period, Prof Sun maintained close ties with the international academic community, participating in numerous collaborative research projects and serving as an editorial board member or guest editor for prominent academic journals. Prof Sun believes that for UM’s Department of History to become a leading institution in Hong Kong and Macao, it must establish its own academic journal. 孫江教授冀以澳門視角書寫世界史 Prof Sun aims to construct a global history narrative from a Macao perspective
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