Bujang Valley: Heritage, Archaeology and National Identity

Malaysians across different generations are likely to have learned about the ancient site of the Bujang Valley in the state of Kedah from their historical textbooks and also recall from previous news reports in recent years involving a private developer which demolished a portion of its sacred Hindu-Buddhist shrines, known as candi.

Where does that leave Malaysians today, and what does it mean to understand the history of Bujang Valley and the role it plays in Malaysian national identity? Join heritage researcher Bowen Liao on a journey up north of Peninsular Malaysia and let your mind perceive a future informed by an understanding of the past.

Author Description:

Bowen Liao is a PhD student at the Department of Malay Studies, National University of Singapore (NUS). He obtained his BA from Beijing Foreign Studies University and his MA is also from the Department of Malay Studies, NUS. He also received state funding to complete a year's study at Akademi Pengajian Melayu, Universiti Malaya. Bowen is currently a recipient of the Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery Scholarship in Buddhist Studies at the Faculty of Arts and Social Science (FASS) in NUS.

His articles and chapters have been published in books and journals such as the 2022 and 2021 versions of the Annual Report on the Development of Malaysia 马来西亚发展报告 (2022 & 2021), Annual Report on ASEAN’s Culture Development (2019) 东盟文化发展报告(2019), World Affairs 世界知识, and the Journal of Asian and African Studies 亚非研究.