Dr Roel Sterckx is the Joseph Needham Professor of Chinese History, Science and Civilisation at Cambridge University, and a fellow of Clare College. He served as Secretary-General of the European Association for Chinese Studies 2006-12 and was elected Fellow of the British Academy in 2013. He is the author of several works, most recently the 2019 book Chinese Thought: From Confucius to Cook Ding.
What prompted you to pursue the study of China and its history?
It’s a combination of coincidence and where I grew up – a small village in northeast Belgium – and an interest in studying languages. At 18 I was determined to study classics or European history.
