Prof. Dr. Michael Lackner, KHC Erlangen Director, on the Objectives and Achievements of the Joint Academic Visit
Prof. Lackner summarizes in his interview - recorded during the academic visit in October 2013 – the objectives and achievements of the joint academic visit by the two consortia. The early traces of Chinese divination in the ancient Chinese capital of Yinxu 殷墟 in Anyang are directly linked to academic research at the KHC Erlangen. Luoyang, as an example of the Indo-Chinese amalgamation process under the auspices of Buddhism, was of particular importance for the KHC Bochum, due to its focus on dynamics in the history of religions, and transfer and exchange between cultures. Recollecting single impressions about the immediacy of the visit of selected Longmen grottoes together with experts, the unique value of an onsite-visit for academic research reveals itself. This was especially true with respect to the sensual dimension of Chinese culture and writing. The ubiquitary presence of the written language is a decisive moment for Chinese culture and directly relates to instances of Chinese divination.