Paola Calanca

Navigation Practices in Asian Seas (16th–19th Centuries) (CCK Project, completed in January 2026)

This study examines the nautical skills and practices of sailors who plied the waters of East Asia between the 16th and early 19th centuries. It is based on an in-depth analysis of the regional maritime tradition, which compares available sources with technical constraints and the realities of the natural environment. The study is organized around the English translation of a Chinese navigation manual (Hai bu yang po), whose content is placed in context with that of other works of the same type.

Etienne Sigaut, Surveyor of the Shanghai Quays

The aim is to prepare for the publication of an annotated bilingual (French-Chinese) translation of this collection from the National Maritime Museum, produced in partnership with Sun Tun-Chun (freelance translator) and Eric Rieth (CNRS). This study sheds new light on changes in ship design between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as on onboard living quarters, providing a better understanding of the work and daily lives of the crews.

Xiamen: An Essay on Urban Epigraphy

This study examines the inscriptions carved into the rocks around which the citadel of Xiamen was built. These inscriptions constitute an “urban archive” that bears witness to the city’s role as a frontier settlement.

Communities, Mobilities, and the Environment around the East Asian Seas (1560–1740)

This project, led by Guillaume Gaudin (Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès-Framespa) in collaboration with Paola Calanca and Luca Gabbiani (EFEO), reexamines the history of various communities (indigenous peoples, Asian and European settlers, merchants, and passing crews) across the East Asian seas and the Pacific Ocean throughout the 17th century.

The Backgrounds of Chinese Maps: Their Interpretation and Understanding

As part of the activities of the EFEO Center in Hong Kong, in collaboration with Marco Caboara (HKUST) and the Institute of Chinese Studies (CUHK), Paola Calanca has been organizing a series of lectures on Chinese regional maps since 2023, focusing on their production processes, modes of dissemination, and uses. In this context, she is participating in the project “Far Eastern Cartography at the BnF: Construction and Composition of a National Collection (17th–20th Centuries),” led by the BnF’s Map Department (2024–2027).

• 1989, Master’s degree in Chinese, National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO, Paris)
• 1990, Bachelor’s degree in History, University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne
• 1991, Advanced Studies Diploma, with a focus on history and civilization, EHESS (Paris)
• 1999, Ph.D. in History, School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS, Paris)

• 2001–, Associate Professor.
• 2002–2007, Researcher at the EFEO Center in Beijing.
• 2011–2016, Director of the EFEO Center in Taipei.
• 2022–, Director of the EFEO Center in Hong Kong.

• 1998–2000, INALCO, Lecturer with Samia Dana: The Chinese Administration as Seen by Sinologists and Entrepreneurs
• 1999–2000, INALCO, Temporary Teaching and Research Assistant: Chinese-French Translation
• 2000–2001, Paris X Nanterre, temporary teaching and research assistant: Chinese-French translation and Chinese history
• 2001–2002, Paris X Nanterre, lecturer: Chinese-French translation and Chinese history
• 2008–2011, EHESS, research seminar, The Chinese Government and the Sea.
• 2017–2022, EHESS, research seminar with Guillaume Carré (EHESS) and Pierre-Yves Manguin (EFEO), Maritime Asia: Powers and Seafarers; The Perils of the Sea; From Port to Open Sea, Seafarers and Their Cultures.
• 2018–2021, EHESS, research seminar with Luca Gabbiani (EFEO), Urban History of Modern China (15th–20th Centuries).
• 2022–2023, Tamkang University (Tamsui), Department of History, master’s seminar, with Lee Chi-ling: Regional Maritime History of Taiwan.
• 2022–, EHESS, research seminar: The Chinese Maritime World through Zhang Xie’s Study of the Eastern and Western Seas (1617).

• EHESS Seminar as part of the Master’s Program in Asian Studies: The Chinese Maritime World through Zhang Xie’s *Study of the Eastern and Western Seas* (1617)

Maison de l’Asie, 22 avenue du Président-Wilson, 75016 Paris
3rd Floor Room
Annual / Bimonthly (2nd/4th), Tuesdays 10:30 AM–1:30 PM
October 14, 2025–May 26, 2026

• 2015, Qiu Dandan, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Archaeology: “Transportation on the Grand Canal in China (7th–early 12th centuries),” co-supervised by Eric Rieth (CNRS-Lamop), (temporarily suspended for family reasons)
• 2018, Guillaume Lopez, Lyon 2: “The Ming Military System in Transition: Between State Administration and On-the-Ground Realities: 1368–1644,” co-supervised with Jérôme Bourgon (CNRS-IAO), (abandoned due to illness)
• 2020, Wu Ziqi (EHESS): “Kuang-Cheou-Wan, a Crossroads of Colonization and Modernization. Between Southern China and French Indochina, Local Society in the Context of International Relations (19th–First Half of the 20th Century),” co-supervised with Luca Gabbiani
• 2022, Xie Yijun (EPHE-PSL, History of Religions and Religious Anthropology): “From Power to Action: The Cult of the Ong Ya in Hokkien Society,” co-supervised by Vincent Goossaert (EPHE-PSL)
• 2024, Wanling (University of Toulouse II Jean-Jaurès): “Realities and Discourse of Trade Relations between Europeans and Chinese (Fujian, Canton, Taiwan) from 1620 to 1750,” co-supervised with Guillaume Gaudin

• 1989–1991, Chinese Government Scholarship (Switzerland–China Interuniversity Exchange Program)
• 1993–1995, Swiss National Science Foundation Grant.
• 1997, Doctoral Fellowship from the Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange.
• 07-08.2001, Research grant from the École française d’Extrême-Orient.
• 2001–2004, Postdoctoral fellowship from the Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange: resigned due to appointment at the EFEO.
• 2009, Funding from the Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange for the conference “Of Ships and Men.”
• 2009, Funding from the Tsao Yung-Ho Foundation (Taiwan) for the conference “Taiwan Maritime Landscapes from Neolithic to Early Modern Times” (Paris).
• 2014–2019, ANR-MOST (France-Taiwan) funding for the research project “Maritime Knowledge for the China Seas.”
• 2015, Funding from the Orchid program for the conference “Taiwan Maritime Landscapes from Neolithic to Early Modern Times” (Paris).
• 2018, Funding from the Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange for the conference “Maritime Knowledge for Asian Seas.”
• 2021–2025, Funding from the Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange for the project “Navigation Practices for Asian Seas (16th–19th Centuries).”

Translated with DeepL.com