Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 1997

when coming off the press, bu t then some of them also get quoted, indexed, translated, and gradually transformed into subjects for detached studies. The journal's motto is ‘for a new Chinese culture', and it strives to impinge on history. In that very process it cannot help also getting woven into the tapestry of history, even if it acounts for only a thin thread in it. A Time for Celebrations and Looking Ahead At age thirty, one is supposed to have reached an important turning point in life, which calls for a big celebration. However, ICS is a big family rather than a single person. Its family members are maturing differently, and it is constantly having birthday parties ： Twenty-First Century celebrated its fifth anniversary in 1995, both the Alt Museum and the Research Centre for Translation had their silver anniversaries last year, while the Archaeology Centre will have its twentieth anniversary next year. We are therefore not planning on yet another big event for the whole ICS ， but only a series of activities including lectures, publications, and commemorative gatherings spread throughout the year. The ICS Thirtieth Anniversary Lectures by distinguished scholars started at the beginning o f this year. Thus far Liu Ts'un- yan of Australian National University, Chang Yu-fa of Academia Sinica, an d Li Xueqin of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences have spoken, on topics ranging from The Story of the Stone to trends of Chinese political thought during the twenties, to newly discovered classics in excavated texts on wood and silk. They will be followed by An Zhimin of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and our own senior professors D.C. Lau and Jao Tsung-i during the fall. Then the ICSJournal will publish a special double issue to mark the anniversary. And f i n a l l y, on 1st No v emb er 1997, the Anniversary Day, members of the institute and honoured guests will gathe r for dinner to celebrate the occasion, and to muse on old times and look forward to the twenty- first century. L o o k i n g ahead is p r o b a b l y mo re important than to celebrate, for Hong Kong is now entering a new era, and the higher education scene is fast changing. The ideas of Chinese studies and exchanges w i th mainland China were novelties in the seventies and early eighties, but are now becoming commonplace, so the field is getting crowded. ICS has been fortunate in that it started out early, and has always enjoyed great University and community support, which enabled it to attract good people and pursue its vision with a great deal of freedom. However, t o continue its distinctive mission, it can no longer wor k alone. It will have to reach out to the rest of the University and other institutions in Hong Kong and on the mainland ； it will also have to infect a greater many other people wit h its vision, and work with them and draw upo n their strength. This would be the next challenge for ICS. We believe that, with the support and help of our new vice-chancellor an d the University community, it wil l be able to rise to that challenge and fulfil its mission during the next century, just as it has done during the past three decades. • 1st September 1997 Prof. Liu Ts'un-yan (left) delivering a 30th anniversary lecture on The Story of the Stone ICS AT THIRTY — A Portrait of the Institute of Chinese Studies 1967-97 11