Bulletin Spring‧Summer 2001

Rebuilding theSociology Discipline Ma i n l a nd universities h a d sociology departments w a y back i n the 1930s, b ut they were all closed d o w n for ideologica l reasons i n 1953. W h e n D e ng X i a o p i ng resumed p ower for the t h i rd time i n 1977, Ch i n a was faced w i t h ma ny social problems that u r g e n t ly needed solving. It was then he pointe d out that sociology could serve different social classes and n ot only the bourgeoisie. These w o r ds ma r k ed the e nd o f the ban o n sociology. W h e n t h e s o c i o l o g y d e p a r t m e n t o f P e k i n g University reopened i n 1979, it suffered f r om a shortag e of t e a c h e r s. E m i n e n t sociologist P r o f . F ei X i a o t o n g s o l i c i t e d t h e h e l p of h i s f o r m e r c l a s s ma te at t h e U n i v e r s i t y of P i t t s b u r g h, Prof. C.K. Yang, w h o t h en i n v i t e d h i s s t u d e n t s at C U H K to j o in h i m i n g i v i ng l e c t u r es u p n o r t h . T h e y i n c l u d e d Prof. Rance Lee, Prof. L a u Ch o n g - c h o r, D r. Pedro Ng, a nd Prof. K w o n g Chun-kuen, al l of w h o m h ad c o n d u c t ed t r a i n i ng courses i n B e i j i n g f o r m a i n l a n d s o c i o l o g y t ea c he r s. F r o m 1982 to 1983, similar training wa s arranged for sociology t e a c h e r s at Z h o n g s h a n U n i v e r s i t y . T h e r e a f t e r exchange activities between s o c i o l o g i s t s f r o m t h e University a nd the ma i n l a nd increased. Last year, w i t h th e s u p p o r t o f t h e L i n g n a n F o u n d a t i o n , r e s e a r c h c o l l a b o r a t i on b e t w e en the departments of sociology at C U H K a n d Z h o n g s h a n U n i v e r s i t y w a s strengthened a n d exchange visits b e t we en graduate students were actively encouraged. Course-specific Training Programme for Sociology Teachers from Mainland China In 1995, with a grant f r om the Ford Foundation, the Department of Sociology launched the Course-specific Training Programme for Sociology Teachers from Mainland China. The objective is to improve the professional standards of China's sociology teachers. Peking University, People's University of China, Nankai University, Nanjing University, Fudan University, and Zhongshan University each sent a teacher to the University to study for one semester. Prof. Cheung Tak-shing, who is responsible for implementing the programme, says this unique programme has been extended to cover participants f r om Central China Polytechnic, Wuhan University, and Shanghai University. These trainees can make full use of the modern facilities on the campus such as the University library and experience a completely different society. Some of them have subsequently made significant changes to the manuscripts they have for publication. Prof. Cheung says ： 'The Unversity has p l a y e dan important role in a s s i s t i n gthe reopeningof sociology programme o n the mainlandand bringing them up t o par withinternational standards. Many of the promising young s o c i o l o g i s t s on the mainlandhavein one way or another been associated w i t h t h e U n i v e r s i t y . ' About 20 students of the Course-specific Training Programme for Sociology Teachers from Mainland China met at the CUHK Department of Sociology in late 2000 to discuss sociology in an evolving Chinese society. 5