Next up in our Honours Student Interview Series is Calvin Lin, who graduated with an Honours in History and a Minor in Asian Language and Culture, China. Scroll down to read through the complete interview and learn all about his honours thesis research and writing process.
What is the title of your honours thesis?
“Eunuch Versus Historians – The Impossibility of Writing a True Biography of Ma Tang”
What interested you in this topic? Why did you choose it for your thesis?
In one of my undergraduate assignments, I was researching materials related to the Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), specifically his life experience in Ming China. I stumbled upon an incident between Ricci and a lesser-known eunuch named Ma Tang, who turned out to play dual roles: as a liaison between Ricci and the emperor, and as a tax collector on behalf of the Ming court. So I was intrigued: Surely Ma Tang was an important character, but why was his career brushed aside by historians, historical and contemporary, who wrote about not only Ricci but also the dynamic late-Ming political, social, and economic histories? In other words, I got interested in the misrepresentations of Ma Tang and became curious as I dug deeper.
What was your favourite part of the research process?
Writing was definitely a laborious task (the COVID lockdown at that time certainly played a role), but it was also the most rewarding for me in a few ways. In writing this topic, I had to meticulously search for textual records to find traces of Ma Tang’s existence and read them carefully to see how these authors portrayed the eunuch. The interactions between Ma Tang and the Ming emperor and commoners were truly fascinating, and the way these scholars had recorded them was even more so. My thesis supervisor, peers from the Honours program, and friends from other classes, with whom I shared ideas and drafts, also provided encouraging and critical comments and feedback to help me improve my writing and push forward.
Where do you hope to go next with your research or career?
I have since completed a Master’s Thesis at UBC History and am currently pursuing a PhD degree in History at the University of Pennsylvania, researching more Ming and late-imperial Chinese histories that connect the Chinese world to neighbours and faraway states in the maritime world.
What advice would you give to someone who is excited but nervous about writing their honours thesis next year?
Start writing and communicating your ideas early; even if the check-in result is not what you envisioned, you will have time to tweak and edit for a better version. But if there are too many things on your mind (which there will be), I find taking a break in a quiet spot (Pacific Spirit Park, Spanish Banks, Nitobe Garden, Museum of Anthropology, or even a parking lot that’s not close to the main roads) a helpful distraction to clear the voices in your head and regroup again.
Do you have a fun or anecdote you would like to share?
I used to use the desktops at my workplace (it was a front desk position) to write parts of my assignments as well as my Honours and Master’s Thesis while helping customers at the same time. I believe the rules are stricter there now, but I appreciate those times and my colleagues who were sympathetic to my cause and had to sit through my loud typing sometimes.
