Bulletin Number Three 1984

China adopt the traditional method, which places more emphasis on lecturing and demands less research on the students' part, here students are required to read widely on their own and write many research papers. Fortunately The Chinese University has an excellent environment for study and research. Of very great help to these postgraduate students is the libraries — rich collection of books and journals, the modem library facilities, the high efficiency of the staff, the long opening hours, the systematic cataloguing system and the open shelf system. However, the greatest help comes from the teachers. Most of the teachers here are relatively young and have kept abreast of the latest development in their field. Under the guidance of these teachers, they are exposed to various schools of thought, old and new. Above all, they have, through the writing of papers, acquired the techniques of conducting independent research systematically and scientifically. As for the programmes they are studying here, it is the consensus of these students that they are well planned. The courses are very substantial and practical, introducing them to many topics and materials seldom covered on the Mainland. For literature students, there is exposure to a wide range of classical and modem Chinese and foreign literary theories and works. In the TESL programme, the most up-to-date approaches and theories are included. Comparatively speaking, the programmes of their home institutions are more conservative. Most of the teachers are still dwelling on less controversial and traditional topics. Another marked difference is the requirement in China for all postgraduate students to take such common courses as Politics, Economics, Philosophy, Chinese Literature and a third language. In comparing the English standard of the students and the undergraduate programmes here with those of their home institutions, they observed that there is also amarked difference. Maybe it is the general English standard of students that accounts for the difference in the design of the programmes. Local students start learning English at a very early age and those who master the language well can already write very good papers in English in their junior years at university. Students of Mainland universities start off with a lower standard in English and the 4-year programme has to be so designed that the first two years are devoted mainly to foundation courses aimed at improving their listening, speaking, reading and writing ability. It is only when they reach the third and fourth years that courses in the history of literature, linguistics, translation and interpretation are offered. As for postgraduate studies, institutions in China also adopt the credit-unit system. Students who meet the minimum requirement of credits of course work and submit a thesis which they are able to defend successfully, will be awarded a degree. However, there is an upper age limit for students reading for the master's degree, set at 35. How about their daily life on campus? Are there any adjustment problems? On the whole they have managed quite well except for some difficulties experienced sometimes in communicating with others. There is a dialect barrier between them and their fellow students who speak mainly Cantonese. Since they hardly know Cantonese and some of the local students are not so good at Putonghua, often English has to be resorted to. When asked for their opinion of Chinese University students, they speak very highly of them, praising them as independent, capable, and active in organizing a variety of activities. In spite of the heavy workload, they still find time for ball games, swimming, jogging and hiking. Nevertheless, they seldom make pleasure trips to town because they have to make full use of the time here for study. Their sojourn at The Chinese University, though brief, has been very fruitful. They all feel that their self-learning, research and teaching ability has been enhanced greatly. Perhaps one drawback is that Hong Kong, where the majority of the population is Chinese, cannot offer an English-speaking environment, which would be ideal for learning the language. After they graduate, they will return to their former posts, where they are expected to put what they have learned to good use. Being intellectuals, they earnestly hope that the status of intellectuals in China would be raised. They are also aware of other problems in the educational circles. For example, younger teachers who can really take over from the aging professors are sadly lacking; support facilities and services for teaching are lagging behind; the working environment and remuneration for teachers need to be improved; the mandatory use of uniform teaching materials and approaches has tied the hands of teachers who would like to introduce reforms. Fortunately, some progress, albeit slow, has been made in recent years and they are confident that a bright future lies ahead. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS 13