Bulletin Number Four 1984

Oral History Research Ever since the founding o f Hong Kong in 1841 ， the local society has witnessed many great changes ， most o f which have le ft no written records. In the process o f its rapid urbanization, many artefacts o f historical value were lost; and those people with personal experience and first-hand knowledge o f these changes are already gone or are o f advanced age. We should ， therefore, make an effo rt to trace whatever historical data are still available ， or else, they w ill be lost sooner or later ， leaving many blanks in the history o f Hong Kong. There are in this University many members who are interested in the study o f Hong Kong's history ， culture and customs and they are very keen in the collection and keeping o f these historical data ， which w ill be used as a basis fo r compiling the history o f Hong Kong. No effort is spared in the collection o f oral historical data by interviewing people from all walks o f life ， apart from the search fo r historical documents. Oral history researches conducted in the University focus mainly on the local culture and education, and the rural history o f theNew Territories. Most o f the researches have been completed, with members o f the Departments o f History ， Journalism & Communication, Anthropology, Geography ， the School o f Education and the University Secretariat taking part. Some o f the topics covered include: ‘Traditional learning in Hong Kong' (Drs. Luk Hung- kay ， Ng Lun Ngai-ha and Tarn Yue-him); 'Develop ment o f journalism and mass communication in Hong Kong' (Mr. A.H.W. Huang-fu ， Mr. Leung Hau- yeung and Dr. Tam Yue-him); 'Village education in Sheung Shui' , ‘Old study halls in the New Territories' and ‘A village scholar: His school and works' (Dr. Ng Lun Ngai-ha); ‘The development o f higher education in Hong Kong: L ife and thought o f Dr. Choh-Ming L i, (Drs. Kwan Lai-hung, Ng Lun Ngai-ha and Tam Yue- him); ‘History o f Sai Kung, 1940-50' (Drs. David Faure ， Kwan Lai-hung, Luk Hung-kay, Tam Yue-him and Ms. Barbara Ward); ‘Ta Ts'iu o f Lam Chuen, (Dr. David Faure, Dr. P.C. Lu and Ms. Barbara Ward); ‘History o f Sheung Shui' (Dr. David Faure); ‘The origin and development o f the TaiPo Market to 1898 ， (Dr. Ng Lun Ngai-ha); ‘The dynamics o f market growth: Historical geography o f the Tai Po Market ， 1898-1940' (Dr. Ng Lun Ngai-ha and Mr. Ng Yen-tak). Such meaningful researches, which have been going on in the University fo r a number o f years ， deserve some publicity. The Chinese University Bulletin, therefore, arranged an interview with three o f the researchers: Dr. Ng Lun Ngai-ha, Dr. L u kHung- kay and Mr. A.H. W. Huang-Fu, and the follow ing is a record o f the interview. Dr. Ng has also kindly outlined fo r our readers two o f the major research projects: ‘Traditional village education o f the New Territories' and ‘The study o f Sai Kung and its experiences during World War II ' . - Editor THE IN TER V IEW Q: Would you please enlighten us on the develop ment o f oral history ， which seems to have a long tradition? Luk: Oral history has been adopted in the study o f history since very early times. In China, the great historian Si-Ma Qian (145-86(?) B.C.) already used this historical method for The Historical Records. When he wrote the Chronicle o f Confucius ， he went to the birth place o f Confucius in Qufu Prefecture in Shandong Province to interview the local elders. The information gathered from the oral source was used to complement and supplement the written records. Ng: In the West, beginning w ith the works on the Persian War by Herodotus, the Father o f History, many famous historical writings have made extensive use o f oral history materials. This tradition was changed in the 19th century when more historical documents and literature became available. Nevertheless, the works of, for instance, Jules Michelet and Thomas Macaulay, still drew on many oral sources. As for studies in other fields, the oral historical method remains very much in use. It is indispen sable for ethnological studies; and for social science research in sociology and anthropology, it is still being actively and widely adopted, in conjunction w ith field work investigations. 14 ACADEMIC/CULTURAL EVENTS