Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 1981

Conference o n Hong Kong History and Society i n Change A conference o n "Hong Kong History and Society i n Change" ， organized b y a committee drawn from faculties o fthe two local universities, was held at this University on 10th-12th December, 1981. Speaking a t th e opening ceremony, th e Secretary for City and New Territories Administration, Mr. David Akers-Jones ， said that th e conference wa s timely an d it s goal wa s o f direct interest t o all , especially t o the many persons in the government and the community wh o were trying t o understand a complex and sophisticated society. Tsuen Wan Town Manager, Dr . James Hayes, speaking fo r th e organizing committee, said h e thought th e increased interest i n local history i s due to th e fact that Hong Kong now means more t o th e people who live here than i t used to . "Hong Kong is now valuable fo r it s own sake and there is, again, a world-wide interest i n China and al l things Chinese ，" he said. Dr. Hayes further pointed out that, as a result of these changing circumstances, many people want to know more about the place, "Those who live here want t o understand i t better and people from outside have become fascinated by it, " he added. The conference, th e first o f it s kind, had tw o main objectives. Firstly, i t wa s intended t o draw together and review the work that had already been done o n th e history an d society o f Hong Kong. Secondly an d more importantly, i t would seek t o identify the areas in which further work is necessary. The conference consisted o f eleven sessions: James Hayes ， “The nature o f village life, 18414981” K.C. Fok ， "Ming military measures in the Hon g Kong region" T.W. Lin, “ A study o f Hong Kong's naval defence i n the late Ming and the Early Qing dynasties" K,K. Siu, “Social changes i n th e Qing dynasty after the establishment o f the new boundary" David Faure ， "The Tengs o f Kam Tin - a hypothesis on the rise o f a gentry family" Patrick Lau, "Traditional architecture i n Hong Kong" Alan Birch, “Approaches t o Hong Kong history" Carl Smith ， "Shamshuipo, from proprietary village t o industrial-commercial urban complex" Barbara E, Ward ， "Floating villages move ashore: half a century o f change along th e water margin o f Hong Kong" L.H. Kwan, "The charitable activities of local Chinese organizations during th e Japanese occupation o f Hong Kong, December 1941 - August 1945" Patrick Hase, "Observations at a village funeral” Alice N.H. Lun Ng ， "Traditional education i n rural Hong Kong" Bernard Luk’ "Traditional education i n urban Hong Kong" David Faure ， Alice N.H. Lun Ng & Bernard Luk, "Highlights from Hong Kong's historical inscriptions" Judith Strauch ， "Middle peasants an d market gardeners: th e social context of th e ‘vegetable revolution' i n a small agricultural community i n the New Territories" Wong Siu Lun ， "The migration o f Shanghainese entrepreneurs to Hong Kong" Lee Ming Kwan, "The evolution o f th e Heung Ye e Kuk as a political institution" The Proceedings o f the Conference will be published. An Exhibition of Source Materials on Hong Kong History wa s hel d at th e Institut e o f Chines e Studies of th e University t o coincide with the Conference on Hong Kong History and Society in Change held from 10th t o 12th December, 1981. T o mark the opening o f the Exhibition, the Hon. David Akers- Jones, Secretary fo r City and New Territories Administration, performed a ribbon-cutting ceremony o n 10th December, accompanied b y Dr .Ma Lin, Vice- Chancellor o f th e University, and Dr. Edward Chen, who represented th e Vice-Chancellor o f the University of Hong Kong. A wide range o f exhibits, including original documents and photographs, were o n display, giving th e visitors t o th e Exhibition a rare opportunity t o gain some impression o f the change Hong Kong has undergone i n the past century o r so. 15