Wang Gungwu is an internationally renowned historian famed for his scholarship on the history of the Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia, as well as the history and civilisation of China and Southeast Asia. In his illustrious academic career, Wang has held eminent appointments in various universities and organisations around the world. He was a history professor at the University of Malaya (1963–68) and the Australian National University (1968–86), and the vice-chancellor at the University of Hong Kong (1986–95). He is currently a professor emeritus at the Australian National University and a University Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS), the highest academic title conferred by NUS.This conversation was recorded at his recent book launch for his book : No Borders : Journeys Across Islands and Continents - at the National Library of Singapore.TIMESTAMPS:0:00 — Introduction0:13 — Prof Wang's Opening Speech 1:45 — "Home Is Where We Are" — Margaret's Wisdom3:15 — What Does "No Borders" Actually Mean?6:38 — How To Find Order in Chaos12:00 — Westphalia, the UN & Why Every World Order Eventually Fails19:30 — Two Ways of Writing History From The Ancients 28:00 — Why China Is Returning to Its Own Past 34:10 — Does Power Always Corrupt? The Chinese Answer35:15 — Confucius vs. the Rule of Law39:59 — Why Southeast Asia Has Stayed Surprisingly Peaceful46:52 — Wang Gungwu on His Own Craft51:09 — The Tang-Song Paradox: How China's Golden Age Planted the Seeds of Its Decline1:01:12 — Geography Shapes History, But Doesn't Determine It
