The James P. Geiss Foundation was started in 2001 to remember Jim Geiss.  The Foundation strives to continue his efforts in developing new directions in studying the Ming dynasty. His knowledge was vast and his curiosity was boundless but his early death in 2000 prematurely ended his many ideas before they were completed.

Ming Court Culture Conference Based on a thought he was nurturing in the early 1990s about a distinct culture arising from the Ming court, the Geiss Foundation held in 2003 a conference to explore this very subject.

Another, very different example is Jim’s collaboration with Nai-Ying Yuan and Hai-Tao Tang to produce six volumes of the highly acclaimed textbooks, Classical Chinese, which today serve as the standard in teaching classical Chinese.

Ming Reader The Geiss Foundation wanted to follow this model but exclusively use Ming documents and incorporate some practical, new additions.  To that end, Professors Yuan and Tang have agreed to prepare Selected Readings of Ming Dynasty Documents (Ming Reader), a volume intended to afford serious students of Chinese studies an opportunity to analyze the tone and style of different Ming texts.  Four categories of documents are examined:  (1) Edicts and Memorials, (2) Palace Eunuchs and Party Politics, (3) Schools, Civil Service Examinations and Eight-legged Essays, and (4) Treatises and Biographies.

As with the Classical Chinese series, the Ming Reader will include detailed glosses to explain the grammar and annotate the texts.  Not only will this volume include the full English translations of each text, but also it will contain a separate CD that provides the complete pinyin and tones of all characters in each document.

These are just two examples of independent research projects that the Geiss Foundation undertakes.  We also try to stay true to Jim Geiss’s positions in our charitable activities.  Read more about the Geiss Foundation and its other activities.