The Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History at Boston College & Harvard-Yenching Institute jointly present joint-fellowship presentation series:

By Prof. LI Lei, 李蕾Ph.D.,  
Nankai University, China

Discussant: Prof. Elizabeth J. Perry, Ph.D.,
Harvard University, U.S.A.

Time: 11:30 AM–1:00 PM, EST, Thursday, February 5, 2026 

Location: Common Room (#136), 2 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138

This presentation explores how the German-Speaking Protestant Basel Mission shaped the modern overseas Hakka diaspora during the late Qing period by facilitating Hakka migration through its ties with the British colonial government in Hong Kong. It shows how missionaries sustained transnational connections with Hakka communities across Southeast Asia and the Americas. Through these religious networks, Christianity became a key resource for adaptation and the formation of a shared diasporic identity.