History in the Making – A History of Aging in Qing China: Self-Representations in Personal Narratives of the Elderly (Dr. Clara Wing-chung Ho, Professor, Hong Kong Baptist University)

A History of Aging in Qing China examines the history of aging and old age during the Qing dynasty, a pivotal period marked by rapid demographic growth that resulted in the largest elderly population in imperial China. Drawing on previously overlooked first-person accounts from the extensive collections authored by Qing men and women, it offers an overview of the self-curated collective aging journeys of several hundreds of elders.
By centering the voices of individuals reflecting on their aging experiences, this book delves into the personal narratives from both genders, rediscovering their aging journeys, revealing their subjectively constructed emotional landscapes, and giving a voice to the elderly individuals of the past. The chapters closely analyze how the elderly in Qing China articulated their aging process, channeling their joys, challenges, and frustrations in later life.

Clara Wing-chung Ho is Professor of History at the Hong Kong Baptist University. Her long-term research focuses on gender and age issues in late imperial China. She was elected a Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of the Humanities in 2011. As a recipient of the RGC-Fulbright Senior Research Award, she served as a Fulbright Scholar and Visiting Professor of History at Northeastern University in Boston in the 2012-13 academic year. In 2021, she received the “Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship” from the RGC. In 2024, she was a Visiting Scholar at Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University. She publishes in both English and Chinese.

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