Prof. Lee received her doctorate degree from Yale University in 1994 after working in the Palace Museum, Taipei. Her field of specialization is Chinese painting and visual culture in the pre-modern era, with a particular focus on gender issues. She also works extensively on representations of place, cultural mapping, and gardens. Among her publications are Exquisite Moments: West Lake & Southern Song Art (New York: China Institute, 2001) and Empresses, Art, and Agency in Song Dynasty China (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2010). She is currently completing a book titled Picturing West Lake: the Poetics and Representation of An Iconic Place.

Agency is the capacity of an agent (person or entity) to act. It concerns everything humans do that has an effect on the world. In the lecture, Prof. Lee shared and explored the outlook and capacity of how the notion of agency can be applied to the study of Chinese art. She also revealed whether agency is discernible in a painting and how might gendered dimensions be shown.

Synthesizing agency and gendered expression in Chinese art, Prof. Lee painted a complex picture of Chinese art history. Her presentation was delivered in an engaging and accessible manner and was an inspiration to researchers as well as to the public. She had a fruitful discussion with Prof. Wan Chui Ki from the Department of Fine Art, and responded to the questions from the audience. The lecture ended successfully with a round of applause.