Chinese University Bulletin
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Chinese University Bulletin Chinese University No. 1, 2010 CHINESE UNIVERSITY BULLETIN No. 1, 2010 香 港 中 文 大 學 The Chinese University of Hong Kong We all like the feel of paper. But this bulletin will increase your carbon footprint. So share a copy with friends or read it online at your own leisure (www.cuhk.edu.hk/iso/bulletin). Thank you for supporting the environment. CHINESE UNIVERSITY BULLETIN No. 1, 2010 Contents © The Chinese University of Hong Kong 2010 2 Humanities · Humanity · Humankind • Research Institute for the The Chinese University Bulletin is Humanities 4 published biannually by the • Research Centre for Information Services Office Comparative City Cultures 6 • Centre for Comparative and Address all correspondence to Public History 7 Information Services Office, • CUHK, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, Research Centre for Human The People's Republic of China Values 8 • Department of Music 10 Email • Centre for Culture and Development 12 [email protected] • Centre for the Studies of Daoist Culture 14 • Centre for Catholic Studies 16 Website www.cuhk.edu.hk/iso/bulletin Advisory Committee on 18 The 67th Congregation Chinese University Bulletin Prof. Laurence K.P. Wong Prof. Chan Hung-kan 22 Former Vice-Chancellor Prof. Joseph Man Chan Prof. Charles K. Kao Returns to CUHK Prof. David Parker Mr. Eric S.P. Ng Mr. Jacob S.K. Leung 28 Two Projects Made Areas of Excellence Ms. Amy Y.M. Tsui • Institute of Network Coding 29 Ms. Antonia Y.H. Yeung • The Historical Anthropology of Chinese Mr. Tommy W.K. Cho Society 30 32 Foundation Stone Laid for Lee Woo Sing College 34 The Best and the Brightest 36 News in Brief • Appointments 36 • Honours and Recognition 38 • Research 41 • Activities and Events 43 • Intellectual Cross-currents 47 Humanities Humanity Humankind hat are the humanities? At the risk of over-simplification, they Ware disciplines that occupy the vast territory between the creative arts—that which Oscar Wilde famously believed should be ‘useless,’ as a flower is useless—and science with its steely functionality. The responsibility of the humanities is to shed light on the human condition and what it means to be human—all the struggles and aspirations, achievements and failures, values and visions that help us make sense of our lives and our world. They exist to inspire admiration and contemplation on the one hand, and to instruct and influence action on the other, and perhaps, even to help us to become truly human in the most positive sense of the word. Among universities in Hong Kong, the Chinese University is best known for its strong humanistic tradition. In the last issue of the Bulletin, we profiled some of the celebrated humanities scholars in our midst. We will continue with the humanities focus in this issue by introducing some highlights in humanities teaching and research at CUHK. Chinese University Bulletin No. 1, 010 Humanities · Humanity · Humankind Humanities Humanity Humankind hat are the humanities? At the risk of over-simplification, they Ware disciplines that occupy the vast territory between the creative arts—that which Oscar Wilde famously believed should be ‘useless,’ as a flower is useless—and science with its steely functionality. The responsibility of the humanities is to shed light on the human condition and what it means to be human—all the struggles and aspirations, achievements and failures, values and visions that help us make sense of our lives and our world. They exist to inspire admiration and contemplation on the one hand, and to instruct and influence action on the other, and perhaps, even to help us to become truly human in the most positive sense of the word. Among universities in Hong Kong, the Chinese University is best known for its strong humanistic tradition. In the last issue of the Bulletin, we profiled some of the celebrated humanities scholars in our midst. We will continue with the humanities focus in this issue by introducing some highlights in humanities teaching and research at CUHK. Chinese University Bulletin No. 1, 010 Humanities · Humanity · Humankind California (USC) and an electrical engineer by Unity in Interdisciplinarity training, who has done a lot to boost USC’s arts The Humanities Seven and humanities programmes during his 19 years Centre for Hong Kong Cultural Studies in office, incidentally with the help of another Publishing the new Hong Kong Cultural Studies series; Research Institute for the Humanities electrical engineer—provost and future USC conducting cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional president, Prof. C.L. Max Nikias. Professor Leung research he Research Institute for the Humanities (RIH) only enables us to learn from each other,’ said added that the Chinese University is clearly Edwin Cheng Foundation Asian Centre for Twas set up in 1991 to bring all interdisciplinary Prof. Leung Yuen-sang, director of the RIH and attaching great importance to the humanities Phenomenology research in the humanities under one roof. It is Professor of History. and he is very happy about it. Organizing Master Class in Phenomenology for Asian currently home to seven research centres, with Scholars etc; publishing Journal of Phenomenology Interdisciplinarity, a response to the worldwide more proposed and pending approval. The RIH is and the Human Sciences a n d R e s e a r c h o n trends of globalization, is a distinguishing feature supported by private funds and external research Phenomenology and the Human Sciences of the institute. All staff involved in the institute grants. Research Centre for Comparative City hail from different departments and academic Cultures ‘The Chinese University’s humanistic backgrounds. Professor Leung said that though Conducting research on the history, culture and tradition is our asset. Our Colleges not belonging to the humanities, interaction between cities, including Hong Kong, offer integrated curricula engineering and science can also Shanghai, Shenzhen and Singapore emphasizing the humanities. contribute to the former, quoting Research Centre for Confucian Studies Of course there are debates Prof. Steven Sample, President Studying Confucian teaching and learning in late among the disciplines, but it of the University of Southern imperial China, Confucianism in Lingnan China; organizing workshops on Confucian statecraft Research Centre for Human Values Running a joint monthly Luncheon Series for the College Fellows with Morningside College; hosting seminars, a conference and a forum Research Centre for Humanities Computing Maintaining research website HUMANUM; servicing University units, e.g., Department of Philosophy, to implement the CU Philosophy Information Databases Research Centre for Ming-Qing Studies Coordinating teaching and research on the literature, history, philosophy, religion, culture of the Ming-Qing era Chinese University Bulletin No. 1, 010 Humanities · Humanity · Humankind California (USC) and an electrical engineer by Unity in Interdisciplinarity training, who has done a lot to boost USC’s arts The Humanities Seven and humanities programmes during his 19 years Centre for Hong Kong Cultural Studies in office, incidentally with the help of another Publishing the new Hong Kong Cultural Studies series; Research Institute for the Humanities electrical engineer—provost and future USC conducting cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional president, Prof. C.L. Max Nikias. Professor Leung research he Research Institute for the Humanities (RIH) only enables us to learn from each other,’ said added that the Chinese University is clearly Edwin Cheng Foundation Asian Centre for Twas set up in 1991 to bring all interdisciplinary Prof. Leung Yuen-sang, director of the RIH and attaching great importance to the humanities Phenomenology research in the humanities under one roof. It is Professor of History. and he is very happy about it. Organizing Master Class in Phenomenology for Asian currently home to seven research centres, with Scholars etc; publishing Journal of Phenomenology Interdisciplinarity, a response to the worldwide more proposed and pending approval. The RIH is and the Human Sciences a n d R e s e a r c h o n trends of globalization, is a distinguishing feature supported by private funds and external research Phenomenology and the Human Sciences of the institute. All staff involved in the institute grants. Research Centre for Comparative City hail from different departments and academic Cultures ‘The Chinese University’s humanistic backgrounds. Professor Leung said that though Conducting research on the history, culture and tradition is our asset. Our Colleges not belonging to the humanities, interaction between cities, including Hong Kong, offer integrated curricula engineering and science can also Shanghai, Shenzhen and Singapore emphasizing the humanities. contribute to the former, quoting Research Centre for Confucian Studies Of course there are debates Prof. Steven Sample, President Studying Confucian teaching and learning in late among the disciplines, but it of the University of Southern imperial China, Confucianism in Lingnan China; organizing workshops on Confucian statecraft Research Centre for Human Values Running a joint monthly Luncheon Series for the College Fellows with Morningside College; hosting seminars, a conference and a forum Research Centre for Humanities Computing Maintaining research website HUMANUM; servicing University units, e.g., Department of Philosophy, to implement the CU Philosophy Information Databases Research Centre for Ming-Qing Studies Coordinating teaching