Academic Staff
Dr. Bony SCHACHTER
Assistant Professor
Daoism, Ritual Theory, Late Imperial China, Late Imperial Ritual History, Late Imperial Book History, Zhu Quan Studies
- A212
- +852 3400 8940
- bony.schachter@polyu.edu.hk
Biography
Bony Schachter is a Daoist studies scholar. As the recipient of a generous scholarship from the China Scholarship Council, he studied modern and classical Chinese at Nanjing Normal University as well as read Chinese history, Sanskrit, and Tibetan at Fudan University. Subsequently, Schachter pursued specialized training in Daoism at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he studied under the famous Daoist studies scholar Lai Chi Tim. His PhD dissertation, “Nanji Chongxu Miaodao Zhenjun: The Tianhuang zhidao taiqing yuce and Zhu Quan’s (1378–1448) Apotheosis as a Daoist God,” won the ICS Mok Hing Cheong Postgraduate Scholarship (2018–2019). Prior to joining the Department of Chinese Culture, Schachter served as an Assistant Professor at the Yuelu Academy, Hunan University. His articles have appeared in top sinological journals, including T’oung Pao, Bulletin of SOAS, Monumenta Serica, and Daoism: Religion, History and Society. Schachter is currently working on several book projects. His first book manuscript examines Zhu Quan’s significance for ritual theory. Other works include the first English translation of the Scripture of the Jade Sovereign (Yuhuang jing 玉皇經) and books about the role of Daoism in Ming politics. Schachter has contributed to several international projects, including the Daozang Jiyao, Chinese Religious Text Authority, and Zhonghua Xu Daozang. In his spare time, he enjoys rituals, music, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Education and Academic Qualifications
- Ph.D. in Religious Studies (Daoism), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (2018)
Academic and Professional Experience
2019–2023: Assistant Professor, Yuelu Academy/Hunan University.
2021: PUC RJ (Catholic University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) – On-Line Course on the History of Daoism (in Portuguese).
2015–2018: Teaching Assistant at the Religious and Cultural Studies Department, CUHK.
Research Interests
Research Output
- True Lord Zhu Quan, 1378–1448: Daoism, Sacrifice, and Kingship in Ming China (finished manuscript, under revision)
- A Ritual Studies Treatise on the Scripture of the Jade Sovereign (In progress)
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Excellent Serenity: Shizong (1507–1567), Daoism, and Governance in Ming China (In progress)
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Ten Thousand Calendars: Shenzong (1563–1620) as the Last Daoist Emperor of Chinese History (In progress)
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Zhu Quan (1378–1448) and Poetry (In progress)
- 《寧王朱權傳》(In progress; English Title: The King of Ning Zhu Quan: A Biography)
- 《儀式理論讀導》(In progress; English Title: Reading Ritual Theory)
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“Portrait of a Divine King: Reexamining Zhu Quan’s (1378–1448) Life in the Light of the Veritable Records and Authorial Sources,” Monumenta Serica, Volume LXXI, No. 2, 337-369.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02549948.2023.2263275
- “Parting Ways: Daoism, Politics, and the Ming Book in Zhu Quan’s Letter to Yongle,” T’oung Pao, 108 (2022), 696–737.
- “Daoism and Ming Rulership: On the Authenticity of Jiajing’s Preface to the Scripture of the Three Offices,” Bulletin of SOAS, 85.2 (2022), 235–64.
- “What is Sacrifice? Towards a Polythetic Definition with an Emphasis on African and Chinese Religions,” in Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions, Vol. 11. No. 1. Jan-Apr, 2022 Special Issue: African Philosophy of Religion from a Global Perspective: Deities, Ancestors, Relationality and the Problem of Evil, 173–86.
- “Esporte dos Deuses: o Ritual Daoista Visto sob uma Perspectiva Comparativa” [Sport des dieux: le Rituel Taoïste vu dans une Perspective Comparative], in NEARCO: Revista Eletrônica de Antiguidade, 2020, Volume XII, N. II, 42–88.
- “Material Apotheosis: The Editions of the Divine Pivot Ready to Hand and the Ritual Underpinnings of Zhu Quan’s Divine Authorship,” in Acta Orientalia, 73, 2020, 467–499.
- “Printing the Dao: Master Zhou Xuanzhen, The Editorial History of the Jade Slips of Great Clarity and Ming Quanzhen Identity,” in Daoism: Religion, History and Society, 2018, 1–86.
- “Gaoshang Yuhuang benxing jijing (Combined Scriptures of the Original Acts of the Exalted and Superior Jade Sovereign): An Annotated Translation and Study of Its First Chapter,” in Monumenta Serica, Vol. 62, 2014, 153–212.
- “Beyond the Kingly Metaphor: A Sociological Reading of the Scripture of the Jade Sovereign,” in Journal of Chinese Studies, No. 60, January 2015, 95–158.
- “O que é a Sinologia? Uma introdução para o público lusófono” [What is Sinology? An Introduction Written for Portuguese-Speaking Audiences], in André Bueno (ed.), Sinologia Hoje, 2021 (Rio de Janeiro: Rio de Janeiro State University Press), 13–34.
- “Taishang Laojun neiguan jing 太上老君內觀經,” in Lai Chi Tim 黎志添 (ed.), Daozang Jiyao Tiyao 道藏輯要提要 (Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, 2021; hereafter DZJY), 429–31.
- “Taishang haoyuan jing 太上浩元經,” in DZJY, 452–55.
- “Qiyuan Zhenren shuo shenzhen Lingfu jing 七元真人說神真靈符經,” in DZJY, 716–18.
- “Taishang Ziwei zhongtian Qiyuan zhenjing 太上紫微中天七元真經,” in DZJY, 719–20.
- “Yuqing jinsi Qinghua miwen jinbao neilian danfa 玉清金笥秘文金寶内鍊丹法,” in DZJY, 1002–06.
- “Guangcheng yizhi 廣成儀制,” in Chinese Religious Text Authority (CRTA).
- “Sanguanjing 三官經,” in CRTA.
- “Shenyin 神隱,” in CRTA.
- “Dimu jing 地母經,” in Zhonghua Xu Daozang 中華續道藏 (XDZ, forthcoming).
- “Ganying pian 感應篇,” in XDZ (forthcoming).
- “Chongke Mingsheng jing 重刻明聖經,” in XDZ (forthcoming).
- “Nandou Beidou jing 南斗北斗經,” in XDZ (forthcoming).
- “Shigao lingwen miaojing 十誥靈文妙經,” in XDZ (forthcoming).
- “Sisheng jingchan 四聖經懺,” in XDZ (forthcoming).
- “Yishu qingshen ke 醫術請神科,” in XDZ (forthcoming).
- “Zhan jixiong zhangjue 占吉凶章訣,” in XDZ (forthcoming).
- “Zhengyi yushu biaoke 正一玉樞表科,” in XDZ (forthcoming)
- “Dili zhuoyu fu 地理琢玉釜,” in XDZ (forthcoming).
- November 13 and 27, 2021
Yuelu Academy/Hunan University International Conference on African Relationality and the Problem of Evil “What is Sacrifice?” (In English) - May 1–2, 2021
The Chinese University of Hong Kong International Conference on the 'Daozang Jiyao' and Daoism in the Ming and Qing Dynasty with the 'Celebration of the Companion to the Essentials of the Daoist Canon' “Portrait of a Divine King: Zhu Quan’s Apotheosis in Biographical Perspective” (In English) - December 06, 2020
Shujia shang de yinyu: Daojiao yu yuedu 書架上的隱喻：道教與閲讀 “中國聖人之道：由周玄貞在《天皇至道太清玉冊》的版本史中所扮演的角色看明代全真身份的塑造” [The Way of the Chinese Sages: The Role of Zhou Xuanzhen in the Editorial History of the Jade Slips and Ming Quanzhen Identity] (In Mandarim) - March 13, 2020
Rio de Janeiro State University Chinese Contemporary Religion “Daoism and Ritual Studies: A Comparative Approach” (In Portuguese) - 05–08 September, 2020
University of São Paulo – Sinological Conference 聖保羅大學漢學研討會 “The Scripture of the Three Officials and Its Editions” (In Portuguese) - May 23–24, 2019
Fudan University From Impurity to Purity and Beyond: Practices and Representations in Asian Religions “The Xuanmen zaoke yanjing keyi and the Practice of Ritual Purification in a Taiwanese Urban Setting” (In English) - June 24–30, 2019
Sichuan University Epigraphic and Archaeological Sources for the Study of Daoist Lived Religion “The Daoist Offering and Its Economy: The Case of Zhou Xuanzhen (1555–1627) and His Ritual Activities on Mount Wufeng” (In Mandarim) - November 16–17, 2019
Yuelu Academy/Hunan University 湖南大學嶽麓書院 Fourth Forum on Religious Studies 第四屆中國宗教學高峰論壇 “中國聖人之道：由周玄貞在《天皇至道太清玉冊》的版本史中所扮演的角色看明代全真身份的塑造” [The Way of the Chinese Sages: The Role of Zhou Xuanzhen in the Editorial History of the Jade Slips and Ming Quanzhen Identity] (In Mandarim)
