In the middle of August, a remarkable group of international
scholars gathered on the University of Washington campus
for a three-day symposium commemorating the 100th anniversary
of the birth of the late Professor Li Fang-Kuei. The
symposium was organized by Professor Anne Yue and other
members of the Asian Languages and Literature department
to honor the memory of Professor Li, who taught Chinese
language and linguistics at the University of Washington
from 1949 through 1969. Professor Li was trained by some
of the leading American linguists of the first half of
the century, including Leonard Bloomfield and Edward
Sapir at the University of Chicago. In his own career
he produced influential, groundbreaking research in many
areas of linguistics and philology, including Chinese
historical phonology, Chinese dialectology, Tibetology,
Tai historical phonology, and Athabaskan (a group of
American Indian languages). The international recognition
which the department garnered in the fifties and sixties
was in no small part due to the scholarly contributions
of Professor Li.
The symposium drew leading scholars from Asia, Europe,
and North America specializing in many of the areas in
which Professor Li distinguished himself. Among the participants
were several former students of Professor Li who earned
graduate degrees at UW in the sixties, as well as his
son Peter Li and daughter Annie Li. Asian L&L Professors
William G. Boltz and David Knechtges were among those
who offered historical background and moving tributes
to the memory of Professor Li. Over the three days of
the symposium, thirty-one scholarly papers were presented,
and each was discussed with great interest and enthusiasm
by those in attendance.
UW faculty members who presented papers were Professors
Anne Yue and Zev Handel, and emeritus Professor Jerry
Norman. UW graduates presenting papers included Prof.
Ting Pang-Hsin, Prof. Ken-ichi Takashima, Prof. W. South
Coblin (in absentia), and Prof. Prapin Manomaivibool.
All present felt that the symposium was a great success,
and contributed to the advancement of those fields to
which Professor Li devoted so much of his life. The presence
and involvement of a number of department graduate students
was particularly gratifying.
The symposium was made possible by contributions from
the Department of Asian Languages and Literature, the
China Studies Program, the Walter Chapin Simpson Center
for the Humanities, the College of Arts and Sciences,
the East Asia Center, and the Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation
for International Scholarly Exchange, and by the hard
work and invaluable assistance of Asian L&L graduate
students.
Click here to view some images from the symposium.
A copy of the symposium program in Adobe pdf format
may be downloaded 
here.
