Restoring Chinese monument Harvard campus

Preserving an historic Chinese monument, long neglected

The Peabody Museum's Alexandre A. Tokovinine, a lecturer on anthropology and research associate, is shown at work within a protective tent during the scanning of the Chinese stele—conducted at night for optimal results.

On a campus with few public works of art, the monumental Chinese stele—17 feet tall, weighing in at 27 tons—would seem hard to miss. Yet it has been sadly neglected in the shadows along the western flank of the massive Widener Library. Its identifying sign is missing, its black paint is long gone, and even its inscription is in danger of disappearing as the marble corrodes. (Although covered in winter, the stone is deteriorating.)

At risk is a significant history—Chinese and Harvardian. The stele itself, dating to c. 1820, stood in the Yuan Ming Yuan (the Old Summer Palace), in northwestern Beijing, until the complex was destroyed in 1860, during the Second Opium War. It came to Harvard in 1936, a Tercentenary gift from Chinese alumni, who had a new inscription carved, expressing their admiration for the University and appreciation for their education. By then, there were nearly 1,000 Chinese alumni, the text notes; according to a contemporary translation, its donors expressed the “fervent hope” that “in the coming centuries the sons of Harvard will continue to lead their communities and that through the merging of the civilization[s] of our countries, intellectual progress and attainments may be further enhanced.” But there were interruptions: China was about to suffer a catastropic invasion by Japan, internal collapse, and the endgame of the brutal civil war that resulted in the victory of the Communist Party. (Times continue to change; today, China sends more international students to the University than any other country.)

In past decades, a Straus Center conservator, faculty members, and even a graduate student have sought a better fate for the monument. In their wake, Jeffrey R. Williams ’78, M.B.A. ’82, the executive director of the Harvard Center Shanghai, began championing the cause some years ago, when he was president of the Harvard Club of the Republic of China. As a first step, this September, the center and the Harvard China Fund—in concert with the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology—arranged for the stele to be documented in virtual form via high-definition, three-dimensional scanning—the project shown under way here.

You might also like

Harvard President Alan Garber Helps First-Years Move In

As a potential settlement with the Trump administration looms, Garber gets students settled. 

Harvard’s New Online Orientation Emphasizes Intellectual Paths

A summer course for first-years focuses on academic success, diverse viewpoints.

Two Years of Doxxing at Harvard

What happens when students are publicly named and shamed for their views?

Most popular

How MAGA Went Mainstream at Harvard

Trump, TikTok, and the pandemic are reshaping Gen Z politics.

Five Questions with Peter R. Girguis

A Harvard professor of evolutionary biology on what lurks in the deep sea  

A Harvard Constitutional Scholar on Star Wars and the Supreme Court

The Harvard Law professor and constitutional scholar on what Star Wars can tell us about today’s Supreme Court

Explore More From Current Issue

Renaissance portrait of young man thought to be Christoper Marlowe with light beard, wearing ornate black coat with gold buttons and red patterns.

Shakespeare’s Greatest Rival

Without Christopher Marlowe, there might not have been a Bard.

Room filled with furniture made from tightly rolled newspaper sheets.

A Paper House in Massachusetts

The 1920s Rockport cottage reflects resourceful ingenuity.

Illustrated world map showing people connected across countries with icons for ideas, research, and communication.

Why Harvard Needs International Students

An ed school professor on why global challenges demand global experiences