Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 1990

Citations Prof. Chang Kwang-chih, BA Ph.D. According to Prof. Chang Kwang-chih, in China's Bronze Age, the tools of production were still made of stone, wood, antler, shell and bone, not bronze. Bronze vessels were primaril y implements of political-religious rituals. The shamans used them t o communicate with, and gain access to, the wisdom of the ancestors, thereby bolstering their own political authority and power. I n contrast to the Wester n experience, in which civilization was a result of technological advancement, the prominent use of bronze in ancient China symbolizes the critical role of politics in the development of Chinese civilization. He suggests that, in the relatively uncharted sea of Chinese cultural history, there lies a vast new world of social science yet to be studied. In a way, Prof. Chang is himself a modern shaman. He is a powerful medium who interprets the wisdom of our ancestors to us and introduces Chinese archaeology to the West. K.C. Chang was born of Taiwanese parents in Peking in 1931. He returned to Taiwan in 1946. At the National Taiwan University, he studied archaeology and anthropology with the late Prof. Li Chi. Then, with Prof. Li's recommendation, he pursued advanced studies at Harvard. After earning his Ph.D. in 1960, he stayed on as a lecturer of anthropology for a year. In 1961, he joined Yale University as an instructor and rose to professor in eight years . In 1977, he returned to teach at Harvard and, seven years later, was appointed John E. Hudson Professor of Archaeology. At both Yale and Harvard, Prof. Chang also chaired the Departments of Anthropology and the Councils on East Asian Studies. No one can dispute that Prof. Chang is one of the world's foremost archaeologists. He has published his systematical synthesis an d analysis of archaeological findings in China over the past decades in 16 books, more than 160 articles and 40 book reviews. The opening paragraph of this citation is but one example of his many break-through interpretations and challenging theories. His works are readily translated into other languages an d his insightful findings are frequently quoted by international scholars. Many honours have been bestowed upon him. He has been elected to distinguished academies such as the Academia Sinica (Taipei), 1974; the Society of Antiquaries of London, 1977; the National Academy of Sciences (USA), 1979; and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1980. Three leading Chinese universities (Shandong, Xiamen and Peking) have made him their honorary professor. The Association for Anthropological Diplomacy, Politics and Society presented its Distinguished Service Award to him in 1985 and the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania awarded him the Lucy Wharton Drexel Medal in Archaeology in 1987. He is also active as adjunct research fellow of the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, Taipei; general editor, Early Chinese Civilization series, Yale University Press; and a member of the Visiting Committee, Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. By actively promoting scholarly exchanges and inter-regional research projects, Prof. Chang has contributed to the training of numerous promising students in both the United States and China. Th e Chinese University of Hong Kong is privileged to have his service in a number of areas.He visited our campus in September 1986 as Distinguished Visiting Scholar of United College. He was our external examiner in anthropology for several years and is a corresponding research fellow of the Centre for Chinese Art and Archaeology. In addition, he also serves the Institute of Chinese Studies and the International Asian Studies Programme as honorary adviser. Mr. Chancellor, in recognition of his extraordinary accomplishments and contributions to scholarship, I request Your Excellency to confer upon Prof. Chang Kwang-chih the degree of Doctor of Social Science, honoris causa. 40TH CONGREGATION 6