MAYO 2012

China: Traveling in Time and Space
在时空中旅行
Each traveler carries a dream, an idea, a goal, and many times a feeling of longing for his family and friends, as can be the case for instance when the trip is imposed on him. Traveling always has an underlying aim, be it curiosity for other cultures or other places, a desire to find a better living, or something else.
Time and space can be infinite when they are part of dreams, part of the poetry of the traveler. Traveling can generate excellent poems, admirable philosophical works and valuable historical reports, but also the cultural enrichment of different peoples that meet, trade different products and help one another.
Many journeys have made it to historical knowledge. Others, of an anonymous nature, have left unforgettable memories amongst those who undertook them. From the internal journeys of thought to the journeys of physical space, man has been going to ever more distant destinations. Time limited space until space managed to dominate time, as happens nowadays with touristic journeys.

The following points are made available in order to facilitate the approach to the theme:

• Time and Space, and the Poetics of Traveling,
• Traveling Within, Traveling Without,
• The Poetics and Rhetoric of Traveling,
o Ancient and contemporary poetry (the poetics of traveling);
o Ancient and contemporary art (traveling in space);
o Great voyages that made history (the journey of Jorge Álvares and his encounter with China in 1513);
o Ancient and contemporary philosophy (traveling within);
o Buddhist and Taoist meditation (travel to the inward person);
o Ancient and contemporary migrations (rhetoric of traveling);
o Contemporary economic development (the dream of making a better living elsewhere);
o From ancient travels to the contemporary tourist travels.

The Organizing Committee informs:

1. Panelists will be offered a three-night stay at the Eurosol Hotels – Leiria (http://www.eurosol.pt/hoteis/hotel-eurosol-leiria-jardim/) with breakfast included, and lunch and dinner close to the place where the conference will be held.
2. The city of Leiria does not have an airport, but free transportation from Lisbon to Leiria will be made available to the speakers, on 20 February. On 24 February, return transportation to Lisbon will also be made available, at a time agreed between the committee and the speakers.
3. If a speaker is unable to keep to this timetable, he will in any case be able to access public transportation, for example a bus from Rede Expresso (please check the schedule at RFlex website for more information: http://www.rede-expressos.pt/default.aspx) and travel expenses shall be paid by the Portuguese Institute of Sinology.
4. Later on, more information will be provided about parallel activities to the conference.
5. Abstracts should not exceed 500 words and should be written in English, accompanied by a short curriculum vitae (1 page). These documents should be sent to ips8fis@gmail until 30 July 2012. The proposed papers will be analyzed by an international committee of experts. The Portuguese Institute of Sinology will notify applicants of its final decision by 15 September 2012.
6. Twenty to twenty two proposals will be selected according to:
their suitability to the forum’s theme; and
the opinion of our consultants on the originality and interest of the papers, their scientific value and the relevance of the curriculum vitae. The abstracts will be evaluated by two consultants and in case of a tie by a third one.

Note: The Portuguese Institute of Sinology offers free registration.