Minutes from the Society for Ming Studies Annual Meeting 2025

The 2025 Annual Meeting of the Society for Ming Studies was held on Friday, March 14, 2025 at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus, Ohio, from 7 to 9 pm.

7:00-7:10 Welcoming remarks from Tom Kelly (outgoing president)

7:10–7:20 Reports and updates

Update on Ming Studies on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, from the editor Ihor Pidhainy
- Downloads have continued to rise
- Reflections on the past five decades in the field: submissions and ideas are welcome, including items showcasing key pieces of scholarship from the journal
Treasurer’s report by Martin Heijdra
- The Princeton library ran a successful Rare Books School, supported by the Geiss Hsu Foundation
- The Princeton library also has a fund earmarked for visitors to use its collections in Ming-related research
Reminder of the availability of support from the Geiss Hsu Foundation, by Bruce Rusk
- Researchers may apply for projects (conferences, developing resources, etc.)
- Publishers can apply for publication subventions

7:20–7:30 elections to the board of the Society

Three new board members were elected unanimously:
- Leigh Jenco (LSE)
- Paola Zamperini (Northwestern)
- Li Xiaorong (UCSB)

7:30–8:30 Roundtable on Global Voices in Ming Studies (funded by the Geiss-Hsu Foundation)

8:30 Presentation of the Ming Studies book prize for 2025, supported by the Geiss Hsu Foundation

Sarah Schneewind, Anne Gerritsen; Li Yuhang, and David Robinson formed the award committee, and made the award to one book this year: Keith McMahon, Saying All That Can Be Said: Describing Sex in Jin Ping Mei (Harvard-Yenching Institute Monograph Series, 2023). The author received the award in person; he thanked the Foundation, noted that his first publication was in Ming Studies, and recalled his friendship with James Geiss.
The award ceremony was followed by a reception.