Newsletter No. 525

09 # 5 2 5 | 1 9 . 1 0 . 2 0 1 8 每位異鄉人都找尋心之所繫，西北民歌歌手 張尕慫 也不例外。今年初，以他為主角的音樂紀 錄片《黃河尕謠》於鹿特丹國際電影節首映，隨後在上海、釜山等國際電影節上映。得悉中 大於九月中舉辦放映會，筆者當然不會錯過此機會。 尕慫說話時有點口吃，但天生一副好嗓子，唱歌時行雲流水，從小跟着大人在甘肅的廟會表 演。後來他到浙江升讀大學，發現自己與城市生活格格不入，唱民歌成為他找尋自我的方式。 退學後，他帶着錄音筆跟西北民間藝人學習三弦、冬不拉等樂器，把收集得來的民間音樂融 入自己的創作，於內地不同城市巡迴演出。 《黃河尕謠》不純粹是尕慫的民歌之旅，也關乎一位八十後青年的迷失。影片中，尕慫在燈 紅酒綠酒吧演出總是顯得有點落寞，只有回到黃土高原嗅一嗅泥土味，在山野與陌生老奶奶 對唱，他才笑得開懷。畢業於中大民族音樂學博士課程的 臧藝兵 教授指出，民歌獨特之處在 於歌曲與民間文化的關係。換言之，西北民歌是尕慫通往兒時回憶的心靈慰藉。 是次放映會屬於中大中國研究服務中心及當代中國文化研究中心合辦的「回望—紀錄片觀 摩系列」，自2016年1月起，主辦單位每個月都精選一齣中國紀錄片供中大師生及公眾人士觀 賞，更邀請導演與觀眾交流，冀透過影像與對話幫助觀眾了解當代中國發展。 今次《黃河尕謠》導演 張楠 和製片人 張勇 皆有赴會。張楠坦言自己與尕慫籍貫一樣，年齡相 近，對尕慫的飄泊流離很有共鳴，有感而發：「做人難免遇上失落與孤獨，但會讓我們心靈愈 來愈富足。」 All itinerants look for their sine quibus non , so does the northwestern folksinger Zhang Gasong . The music documentary Stammering Ballad featuring him was premiered in the International Film Festival Rotterdam early this year, followed by other film festivals in Shanghai and Busan. When I heard of the on-campus screening in mid-September, I swiftly grasped the chance. Gasong stutters a bit, but he has a good voice and sings fluently. In childhood, he performed with adults at temple fairs in Gansu. After he was admitted to a Zhejiang university, he discovered he could not stand the city life. Folk song singing became a way for self-discovery. He ended up an itinerant folksinger after quitting the university: bringing an audio recorder to learn northwestern musical instruments such as sanxian and tambura, incorporating folksy elements into his musical pieces, and performing folk songs in different Chinese cities. Stammering Ballad is not merely about Gasong’s folk song journey, but also the disorientation of the post-80s. In the documentary, he looks disoriented in nightclub performances. Only when he smells the soil on the Loess Plateau and sings duet with an old woman on the hill can he resume his hearty smile. Prof. Zang Yibing , with a PhD in ethnomusicology from CUHK, points out that the key of folk song lies in the relation between songs and folk culture. In other words, folk songs connect Gasong to his childhood where he finds comfort and solace. The screening was co-organized by CUHK’s Universities Service Centre of China Studies and the Research Centre for Contemporary Chinese Culture as part of their monthly documentary screening series, Reminiscence. To help the audience understand the development of contemporary China, the organizers have been offering monthly Chinese documentary screenings to the CUHK community and the public since January 2016. Dialogue with the director is usually arranged after the screening. This time, both the director Zhang Nan and the producer Zhang Yong attended the screening. Zhang Nan revealed his similarities with Gasong in terms of birthplace and age. He was empathetic to Gasong’s itinerant life and said, ‘Disorientation and loneliness are inevitable, but they will enrich our inner selves.’ J. Lau Source: Trailer, International Film Festival Rotterdam 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnyvYRX4qjc 流離與安身 An Itinerant’s Homecoming 大抵自古希臘數學家阿基米德開始，科學發現便被浪漫化成天才的頓悟。其實科學發展很少 是由充滿戲劇性的突破來推進，反而少為人留意的外行人如生意人和行政人員，貢獻可能更 不可抹殺。 剛過身的高錕教授，其劃時代的光纖理論已是家傳戶曉，但少有人提及他於1982至1985年 間出任國際電話電報公司（ITT）特別為他量身而設的科學行政總裁一職。 在其自傳《潮平岸闊》中，高教授回憶自己當時如何看待這個新挑戰：「……我不能天馬 行空，為所欲為，而是要繪畫出科學和科技將要帶領我們前往的一個合乎情理的未來世界。 我首先要了解目前阻礙科學和科技進步的絆腳石是甚麽，然後估計是否可以把這些石頭移 走。」 統領科研的科學家便如一位商業策略師，不斷作出成本效益分析和可行性評估等。身為管理 層一員的他，人事部署也是優先的處理事項。高教授出任ITT科學行政總裁，旋即招聘了兩名 年輕有為的學者，組成三人團隊開始研究基礎問題。他也很快成立了一個集十間大學及研究 機構的精英的研究小組，匯聚各家所長，善用現有資源。 能夠縱觀全局，高教授更能比其他人率先看到科技對市場甚至世界造成的影響。他在 A Choice Fulfilled （1991）一開頭便這樣解釋科技：「科技的最大貢獻，也許在於能以合理 的價格，生產配合個人需要的產品。」 Scientific discoveries are often given a spin in the form of the ‘eureka’ moment. Well, nothing can be farthest from the truth. Not only are scientific advances not made in leaps and bounds, but they come about with a little help from other dramatis personae such as, alas, businessmen and executives. The groundbreaking work in optical fibres of the late Professor Sir Charles Kao is by now household. But few have paid attention to the three-year period of 1982–1985 when he was appointed Executive Scientist of International Telephone & Telegraph Co. (ITT), a new post specifically created for him by ITT. In his memoir A Time and A Tide , Professor Kao recalls how he viewed his new task: ‘The major challenge was to paint a rational picture of the future forces that would propel science and technology forward. I had to first understand the obstacles that were deterring the progress of science and technology, and to estimate whether the progressive removal of the limits set by such obstacles could be done.’ A scientist in an executive position should act like a business strategist doing cost-benefit analyses and feasibility estimates. As a prudent manager, personnel matters too should be top of his do-list. One of the first things Professor Kao did as executive scientist at ITT was to recruit two brilliant young men to form a team of three and directed their effort towards answering some fundamental questions. Another was to set up a team of experts from 10 universities and institutes in related areas so as to tap their expertise and leverage on available resources. From the vantage point of a top executive, Professor Kao was able to see before everyone else the impact of technology on the market and the world. He concludes, at the beginning of his 1991 book A Choice Fulfilled : ‘Perhaps the most significant factor that technology has brought to us is the means for products to be tailored to meet and satisfy individual needs at affordable prices.’ T.C . 科學行政總裁 The Scientist as Executive 字 裏 科 技 / T ech T alks 藝 士 匹 靈 / ARTS pirin