Bulletin Winter 1988

The Tanner Lecture and Seminars The University was invited to organize a Tanner Lecture in November 1988. The first time a Tanner Lecture being held in Hong Kong, it also formed part o f the 25th anniversary celebration programmes o f the University. The Tanner Lectures, founded in Cambridge University in 1978 ， have over the past ten years spon sored many important lectures primarily on human values by prominent scholars in such prestigious universities as Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, Stanford and Yale. This year's Tanner lecturer was Professor Fei Xiao-tong, the distinguished Chinese social anthro pologist and scholar o f international repute. Professor Fei spoke on ‘Unity and Plurality: Reflections on Ethnic Relations in China' to a capacity audience on the University campus. Professor Fei delivered the first part o f his lec ture on 15th November, in which he reviewed the theme o f ethnic plurality and unity in China from a historical perspective. In the second part o f the lec ture held on 17th November, Professor Fei looked into the future o f the configuration o f the Chinese people and explored such themes as government poli cies and ethnic equality, industrialization and coop eration among different ethnic groups, and modern ization and assimilation o f ethnic minorities. The topics were further discussed by scholars from different parts o f the world in the seminars held in connection w ith the lecture on 16th and 18th November, which were chaired respectively by Dr. Chiao Chien and Professor Ambrose King. Overseas scholars attending the seminars included: Professor Maurice Block from the University o f London, Dr. Peter S.J. Chen and Dr. Eddie C.Y. Kuo from National University o f Singapore, Professor L i Yih-yuan from National Tsinhua (Hsinchu) University, Professor Chie Nakane from Tokyo University, Professor Lisa R. Peattie from Massachusetts Institute o f Tech nology, and Dr. Ma Rong from Peking University. Professor Fei's life-long career in teaching and research began in 1939. He has held key academic appointments at various prominent universities in China as well as visiting positions at prestigious insti tutions in the USA and UK in the 1940’s, such as Harvard University and the London School o f Econ omics. He is now professor o f sociology at Peking University as well as honorary director o f the Instiute o f Sociology under the Academy o f Social Sciences in China. Professor Fei is the author o f many important publications on Chinese society. He was awarded the B. Malinowski Honorary Prize by the International Applied Anthropology Association in 1980 and the Huxley Memorial Medal by the Royal Anthropological Institute o f Great Britain and Ireland in 1981 for his outstanding contributions in the field o f social anthro pology. In 1983, he became an Honorary Fellow o f the London School o f Economics. 7