Being invited to deliver the keynote speech at the international conference “Imitation or Appropriation? Intermediality in Qing Imperial Art and Culture” (May 13–15, 2021), organized by the East Asia Research Seminar, SOAS, University of London, represents a major recognition of my scholarship. My lecture, “Making ‘Likeness’ as a New Paradigm: A Representational Turn in Visual Culture at the Qianlong Court,” set the intellectual framework for a three-day program of global scholarly exchange. Held online during the Covid-19 pandemic, the conference brought together leading specialists in Qing art and culture, underscoring the visibility of my research in shaping new directions in the field.