（On-the-Scene Report by Dr. Zhang Lu, UDP Special Correspondent） Local media coverage of AAS-in-Asia 2026. Photo credit: Associated Press of Pakistan. Lahore awakens early. Motorcycles and three-wheeled vehicles weave through crowded streets, while vendors' calls, honking horns, and the call to prayer echo across the city. Modern life unfolds against a backdrop of [...]
(By Jeff Fan) On October 1, 2026, United Digital Publications (UDP) visited the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange (CCKF), where we met with Executive Director Chen Chun-i and several senior staff members to exchange ideas on the digitization, accessibility, and promotion of resources for international Sinological research. More Than Three Decades of Support [...]
Several topics on this year’s EASL programme caught our attention. Before heading to Heidelberg, we decided to try a small experiment: asking UDP’s Lumen follow-up questions in natural language — in Chinese, English, and German. The results brought some unexpected surprises. “What role have the Uyghurs played in China’s historical and cultural development?” Meeting a [...]
The 46th annual conference of the European Association of Sinological Librarians (EASL) took place at the CATS Library in Heidelberg from September 2 to 4. UDP attended as a publisher and had a presentation slot on the morning of September 3. But the real reward of the week came on September 4, when the librarians [...]
Written by Nancy Wu 伍翠蓮 Often described as the “Olympics of the library world,” the IFLA World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) is a major annual gathering and an important window into emerging trends in libraries worldwide. The 90th Congress was held at BEXCO in Busan, Korea, from August 10 to 13, 2026, under the [...]
Written by Dr. Chang Lu 張露 The Church of San Simeone Piccolo, located opposite Santa Lucia Railway Station. Its neoclassical façade and portico, inspired by Rome's Pantheon, provide many travelers with their first glimpse of Venice. (Photo by the author) Venice: A Historic Hub of Chinese Studies in Italy The 26th Biennial Conference [...]
Written by Dr. Chang Lu 張露 Ca’ Foscari Palace, Venice. (Image courtesy of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.) From July 21 to 25, 2026, the 26th Conference of the European Association for Chinese Studies (EACS)—one of the most important academic gatherings in the field of Chinese Studies in Europe—was held at Università Ca’ [...]
Written by Kevin Chang 曾凱文 The 28th Asian Studies Conference Japan (ASCJ) was held on July 4–5, 2026, at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. Invited as an exhibitor, United Digital Publications (UDP) showcased its Lumen AI Search technology together with four major digital humanities collections, including Colonial Taiwan, Democratic Asia, and the Chinese Character Cultural [...]
How Did Calligraphy Evolve from Literati Culture into Modern Art? When asked the same question, Lumen, UDP's AI-powered discovery platform, reveals remarkably different knowledge pathways in Chinese and English. The difference is not simply linguistic; it reflects distinct academic traditions, knowledge structures, and research perspectives embedded within different languages. Historical Narrative vs. Global Framework The [...]
"How Did the Cold War Shape Democracy and Media in Asia?" When we asked Lumen, UDP's AI-powered discovery platform, the question in Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean, the most surprising discovery was the distinct research perspectives, scholarly traditions, and historical depth each language revealed. 4 Languages, 4 Historical Frameworks The conclusions generated by Lumen varied [...]
