Bulletin Number Five 1985

Second International Conference on Modernization and Chinese Culture —Chinese Family and Its Change The 2nd International Conference on Modernization and Chinese Culture, with the theme on ‘Chinese Family and Its Change', was held at the University from 4th to 8th November, 1985. Organized by the Faculty of Social Science and the Institute of Social Studies, the Conference was sponsored by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund in New York and Dr. Stephen S.F. Hui. The over forty local and overseas participants coming from China, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and the USA were anthropologists, social scientists, psychologists, political scientists and philosophers. Among them were distinguished scholars such as Professor Fei Xiao-tong and Professor Lei Jie-Qiong from China, Professor Li Yih-yuan and Professor Yang Kuo-shu from Taiwan, and Dr. David Y.H. Wu from USA. During the five-day Conference, sixteen sessions were held and a total of- thirty-one papers were presented and discussed in Chinese. At the final session, which was chaired by Dr. Kuan Hsin-chi, Dean of Social Science, concluding remarks were made by Professor Fei Xiao-tong, Professor Li Yih-yuan, Dr. David Y.H. Wu, and Dr. Chiao Chien of the Anthropology Department. They felt that conducting international conferences on Chinese problems in Chinese will help towards the expression of Chinese concepts in well-defined academic language, and hoped that similar conferences in future will be held in other places as well. Dr. Chiao Chien, Chairman of the Conference, also observed that the differences among participants from various countries and places found in the first Conference held two and a half years ago were less pronounced this year. The proceedings of the Conference will be published in 1986. Overseas Chinese Archives Held Fund-raising Exhibition The Overseas Chinese Archives of the Centre for Contemporary Studies held a 'Singapore-Malaysia Painting and Calligraphy Exhibition' from 1st to 3rd December, 1985 at the Exhibition Hall, Low Block of City Hall. The Exhibition aimed to introduce Singaporean and Malaysian painting and calligraphy to local people and to raise research funds for the Archives. Officiating at the opening ceremony were Dr. Ma Lin, the Vice-Chancellor, and Mr. Stephen Sim, Commissioner of Singapore in Hong Kong. The 131 pieces of exhibits by seventy-five famous artists of Singapore and Malaysia included watercolour, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese ink and colour, oil painting, acrylic, and batik. All exhibits are rich in the tradition of Chinese art and are tinged with the local colour of Southeast Asia. Another characteristic of the Exhibition is that it features the works of famous artists of both the older and younger generations. Professor K.K. Poon, Dr. Chen Wei Hsi, Mr. Liu Kang and Mr. Wang Yau are of the older generation and Mr. Chung Chen Sun, Mr. Goh Beng Kwan, Mr. Thang Kiang How, Mr. Yau Tian Yau and Mr. Ho Ho Ying belong to the younger generation. Many of them are held in high esteem in the artistic circle in France. Professor K.K. Poon's calligraphy has recently won an Artist Award in Paris. The Archives were established in 1983 for the promotion of better understanding towards Chinese communities abroad. The initial emphasis is on overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, especially their activities in finance, plantation and shipping. The Archives also organize and sponsor research projects, conduct seminars and conferences, and publish monographs, occasional papers and journals on various aspects of overseas Chinese. The Archives are primarily financed by private donations. This fund-raising exhibition was the first step towards setting up a foundation to secure the financial base for long-term and uninterrupted research development. NEWS 13