The Research and Postgraduate Studies Centre congratulates Associate Professor Dr. Hue Guan Thye for the recent article published in Religions, a Q1 journal specialising in thorough studies of religious thought and practice. 

The research fellow, Kui Wei Kai and the research assistant Klan Choo Juhn Khai from the Centre for Research on Southeast Asian Chinese Documents are the corresponding authors, while another two students - Josephine Fong Xin De from the Centre for Research on Southeast Asian Chinese Documents and Tai Hean Cheong from the Department of Chinese Studies - also participated in the writing.

This research has been conducted in collaboration with Prof. Kenneth Dean, Dong Wei Kai, Lin Ruo, from National University of Singapore and Yu Meng, from the Central Academy of Drama, China.

The Malaysian Historical Geographical Information System (MHGIS) is an attempt to map out the Chinese religion and beliefs in the region in order to achieve a deeper understanding of the history and cultural changes of the local Chinese community. Entitled The Malaysian Historical Geographical Information System (MHGIS): The Case of Chinese Temples in Johor,  the article shows how the team used the existing data of more than 900 temples and the HGIS tools to demonstrate the development of Chinese religion in the Johor state, providing a new understanding and method of Chinese temples and beliefs through the study of underlying communities.

The MHGIS will be able to show the spread of beliefs, community networks, and their development. In the future, scholars will be able to use the system to study temples from a more macro perspective, further enriching research in related areas and deepening the understanding of religious life in the state.

https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/3/336

About Dr. Hue Guan Thye

Dr. Hue Guan Thye is an Associate Professor of Chinese History at XMUM Department of Chinese Studies and the Director of the Center for Research on Southeast Asian Chinese Documents. Dr. Hue obtained his Ph.D. in Chinese Tradition Culture from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. His research interests include the History of Chinese in Southeast Asia, Buddhism, Taoism, and Chinese popular religion in Singapore and Malaysia.