Prof. Dr. phil. habil. Silvia Freiin Ebner von Eschenbach

Researcher of a DFG-funded project

Current Field of Research:

The ecology and economy of urban water supply: the history of Hangzhou and the West Lake from the Song to the Ming dynasties as seen from micro and macro historical perspectives.

Recent Areas of Teaching and Research:

• Chinese economic and social history with a focus on the Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties.
• Chinese environmental history.
• History of Chinese agriculture, Chinese water control, and Chinese spatial economics.
• Chinese regional history and Chinese local history with a focus on southern and southeastern China.
• Chinese cultural history and Chinese cultural anthropology.
• History of Chinese Buddhism.

Biography:

• Magister artium (1982) and doctorate (1985) in Chinese, Indian, and Mongolian Studies at Munich University (LMU).
• Diploma in Geography and National Economy (1986) at Munich Technical University (TUM).
• Habilitation and venia legendi in Chinese Studies (1994) at Wuerzburg University.
• Extraordinary professorship (2000) at Wuerzburg University.

Doctoral thesis: Die Entwicklung der Wasserwirtschaft im Südosten Chinas in der südlichen Sung-Zeit anhand einer Fallstudie: Das ‘Ssu-ming T'o-shan shui-li pei-lan des Wei Hsien’ [The development of water control in southeast China during the Southern Song Dynasty taking the ‘Siming Tuoshan shuili beilan 四明它山水利備覧’ by Wei Xian 魏峴 as case study].
Diploma thesis: Raumstruktur der chinesischen Provinz Yün-nan im Spiegel ch'ing-zeitlicher Quellen unter besonderer Berücksichtigung agrar- und ethnogeographischer Aspekte [Spatial structure of the Chinese province of Yunnan as mirrored in Qing sources with special regard to agrarian and ethno-geographical aspects].
Habilitation thesis: Die Sorge der Lebenden um die Toten: Thanatopraxis und Thanatologie in der Song-Zeit (960-1279) [The care of the living for the dead: Thantopraxis and thanatology during the Song (960–1279)].

• DAAD scholarship for research at Taibei (1986–1987).
• Academic assistant to the Chair for Chinese Studies of Wuerzburg University Prof. Dr. Dieter Kuhn (1988-1994).
• Research grant from Wuerzburg University (1995).
• Research grant from the Goerres Gesellschaft zur Pflege der Wissenschaft (1996–1997).
• Deputy professorship of Chinese Studies at Köln University (1997–1998).
• Currently project researcher at Munich University (LMU).

Memberships: European Association of Chinese Studies (EACS), Deutsche Vereinigung für Chinastudien (DVCS), Association Française d’Études Chinoises (AFEC), Goerres Gesellschaft zur Pflege der Wissenschaft, Münchner Geographische Gesellschaft.