Military and Veteran Governance Workshop Series 軍事與退役軍人治理工作坊

Theme: This year marks the 80th Anniversary of the Victory in the War of Resistance in China and the world. Sponsored by the Governance and Bureaucracy Laboratory of the Department of Government and International Affairs, Lingnan University, this workshop series examines war commemoration as a critical lens for understanding international affairs, state-society relations, and public welfare. Bringing together scholars, filmmakers, NGO leaders and volunteers, we explore how state and society collectively recover the narratives of war veterans. This series offers insights for faculty members’ research while providing students with real-world perspectives on public policymaking, collective memory, and the politics of recognition. 

Sponsors: This workshop series is part of my General Research Fund (GRF) project (no. 13609724) on "How State Concessions Impact the Dynamics of Contention? Institutional Accommodation and the Changing Landscape of Veterans' Activism in China," and was also funded by the Governance and Bureaucracy Lab, Department of Government and International Affairs, Lingnan University. I thank Richard M. Walker, Director of the Lab, for his advice and unwavering support of this series.  

Acknowledgement: The term "uncovering forgotten heroes" was first used by Dr. Jacqueline Lin from the Centre for China Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. This workshop series will be renamed from "Uncovering Forgotten Heroes Workshop Series" to "Military and Veteran Governance Workshop Series" to capture the evolving focus of the series.  

• Upcoming talks from: 

• Dr. Zhenqiang Liu, Associate Research Fellow, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, Shanghai

• Prof. Luyang Zhou, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou

• Prof. Jennifer Yip, Assistant Professor, Department of History, National University of Singapore

• Prof. Zhou Taomo, Associate Professor, Department of Chinese, National University of Singapore

• Prof. Orna Naftali, Abraham Miller Chair in Chinese Studies/Associate Professor, Department of Asian Studies, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

• .....

10. Book Talk: The Rise of General Staff Headquarters in Modern China: An Institutional Analysis

• 2:00-3:45 pm, March 5, 2026 (Thursday)

• Speaker: Dr. Su Sheng-hsiung, Associate Research Fellow & Director of IMH Archives, Academia Sinica, Taiwan

• Funder: Governance and Bureaucracy Laboratory (GovBur), Lingnan University, HKSAR

• upcoming... 

9. Invited Talk (Xiamen University): The Origins and Evolution of Veterans' Governance Institutions in China (1949-2025)

• Host Institution: School of Public Affairs, Xiamen University, Fujian Province, China

• December 13, 2025 (Saturday)

• Funder: General Research Fund (GRF, no. 13609724), Research Grants Council, HKSAR

8. Memorial Visit (Melbourne, Australia): Shrine of Remembrance: Victoria's national memorial honouring the service and sacrifice of Australians in war and peacekeeping

• December 4, 2025 (Thursday)

• Funder: Lingnan Conference Grant for the Chinese Studies Association of Australia 19th Biennial Conference 2025 (CSAA 2025)

7. Public Lecture: The Guardian of Memory: A Non-State Museum's Journey in Preserving China's Wartime History 

• 2:30-4:00 pm, November 21, 2025 (Friday)

• Speaker: Mr. PEI Yuan, Curator at Jianchuan War History Museum (Chengdu City, Sichuan Province)

• Funder: Governance and Bureaucracy Laboratory (GovBur), Lingnan University, HKSAR

6. Public Lecture: The Operational Landscape of Veterans' Advocacy: An Analysis of Structure, Financing, and Operational Challenges

• 2:30-4:00 pm, November 14, 2025 (Friday)

• Speaker: Mr. YU Hao, Secretary-General, Hunan Longyue Peace and Development Center

• Funder: Governance and Bureaucracy Laboratory (GovBur), Lingnan University, HKSAR

5. Public Lecture: The Collector of Bones: A Non-State Museum’s Mission to Bring China’s War Heroes Home

• 2:30-4:00 pm, November 7, 2025 (Friday)

• Speaker: Mr. YIN Guangliao, Manager of the “Veterans Returning Home” Story Museum (Hengyang City, Hunan Province)

• Funder: Governance and Bureaucracy Laboratory (GovBur), Lingnan University, HKSAR

4. Documentary Screening: “The General’s Guard” (將軍的衛士) and A Conversation with the Director

• 2:30-5:00 pm, October 24, 2025 (Friday)

• Speaker: Mr. JIANG Nengjie, Independent Documentary Filmmaker

• Funder: Governance and Bureaucracy Laboratory (GovBur), Lingnan University, HKSAR

3.  Book Talk: “Making National Heroes” (HKU Press) and A Conversation with the Author

• 2:30-4:00 pm, October 17, 2025 (Friday)

• Speaker: Dr. Jacqueline Zhenru LIN, Author and Research Assistant Professor at CUHK (Ph.D., University of Cambridge)

• Funder: Governance and Bureaucracy Laboratory (GovBur), Lingnan University, HKSAR

2. Museum Visit (Hong Kong): Field Trip to the Hong Kong Museum of War of Resistance and Coastal Defence

• 2:30-3:30 pm, October 14, 2025 (Tuesday) 

• Quota: 24 (open to the public: first come, first served)

• Funder: Governance and Bureaucracy Laboratory (GovBur), Lingnan University, HKSAR

1. Public Lecture: Bringing the Remains of Fallen Soldiers Home: Reflections on 20 Years of Volunteer Service

• 2:30-4:00 pm, September 19, 2025 (Friday)

• Speaker: Mr. SUN Chunlong, Founder of the “Peace & Love” Welfare Institution

• Funder: Governance and Bureaucracy Laboratory (GovBur), Lingnan University, HKSAR