At this lecture, Professor Kam Louie will talk about the role played by the notion of “the talented scholar” in the construction of Chinese masculinity. In Western personality stereotypes, masculinity ideals tended to have been macho, muscular and adventurous types. In his book “Theorising Chinese Masculinity”, Professor Kam Louie shows that the ideal Chinese man possessed both wén (literary talent) and wǔ (martial prowess), with wén dominating. Wén men were those who have passed the civil service examinations. While examination success was the key to officialdom and access to worldly goods and desires, but the official, being a gentleman, was not meant to indulge in love and sex. Yet this was clearly not the case in Chinese literature and folk legends. Come and hear Professor Kam Louie as he shares more at this lecture.