Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 2005

v i s i t i n g scholars, i n v i t i n g w o r l d - r e n o w n ed academics as v i s i t i ng lecturers, w i t h the g o a l of e n h a n c i n g intellectual exchange to inspire y o u n g scholars' t h i r s t f o r k n o w l e d g e a n d to establish a b r o a d e r p l a t f o r m f o r i n t e l l e c t u al p u r s u i t s. I n 1970, Prof. K i n g j o i n e d the r a n k s of T h e C h i n e se U n i v e r s i t y o f H o n g K o n g , t e a c h i ng i n the D e p a r t m e nt of Sociology. I n 1974, he w a s p r o m o t e d to senior lecturer , i n 1979 t o r e a d e r a n d i n 1983 p r o f e s s or o f sociology. F r om 1977 t o 1985, he s e r v e d as h e a d o f N e w A s i a Co l l e g e a n d i n 1989 he became P r o - V i c e - Ch a n c e l l o r of the Chines e Un i v e r s i t y . I n 2002 h e w a s a p p o i n t ed Vice- Chancellor of thi s Un i v e r s i t y, a n d h o n o r a b ly retired i n 2004. Prof . Am b r o s e K i n g a n d The Chinese University g r e w to ma t u r i ty together; he w a s i n v o l v e d i n the U n i v e r s i t y ' s breakthroughs a n d e v e r y stage o f d e v e l o p m e n t o v e r these 30 y e a r s . T h is w a s p a r t i c u l a r ly true of the years he serve d as Vice-Chancellor, w h e n he set the f i f t h 10-year d e v e l o p m e nt p l a n f o r the U n i v e r s i t y, i n t r o d u c e d a n e w me c h a n i sm to i mp r o ve the governance o f the U n i v e r s i t y, a n d successfully established the School of Law. W i t h incomparable energ y and a n i n d o m i t a b l e s p i r i t , he l e d the U n i v e r s i ty t h r o u g h n u m e r o u s d i f f i c u l t i e s : t he SAR S o u t b r e ak a n d t he s u b s t a n t i a l b u d g e t c u ts i m p o s e d b y t h e g o v e r n m e n t . T h a t T h e C h i n e se U n i v e r s i t y o f H o n g K o n g t o d a y takes its place a m o n g th e leaders of w o r l d u n i v e r s i t i e s is i n a m e a n i n g f ul w a y d u e to t he e f f o r ts of Prof. K i n g . I n a d d i t i o n to his academic research a n d a dm i n i s t r a t i v e w o r k , Prof. K i n g is active i n c o mm u n i ty affairs: he has a d v i s ed th e I C A C , s e r v ed o n the L a w Re f o r m C o mm i s s i o n of H o n g K o n g , a n d has been a memb er of th e Central Policy U n i t a nd the H o n g K o n g Research G r a n ts Co u n c i l . Prof. K i n g ' s a c h i e v eme n ts have g a i n e d h i m a h i g h academic r e p u t a t i o n . I n 1994, he w a s elected a f e l l ow o f A c a d e m ia Sinica i n T a i w a n, a n d i n the f o l l o w i n g y e a rs h e has b e e n h o n o u r e d b y m a n y u n i v e r s i t i e s. I n a d d i t i o n t o h i s t e a c h i n g , r e s e a r c h a n d academic a dm i n i s t r a t i o n , the mu l t i - t a l e n t ed A m b r o s e K i n g also d e l i g h t s i n p e n n i n g b e a u t i f u l a n d p r o f o u n d l y l i t e r a ry essays. Cambridge Musings (1977), Heidelberg Musings (1986), a n d Ever in My Heart (2005) are the l i t e r a r y c r e a t i o ns o f a s o c i o l o g i st a n d t he p h i l o s o p h i c al m u s i n gs o f a m a n o f letters. Recently, Prof. K i n g has been e n t h r a l l e d b y c a l l i g r a p h y, p u r s u i ng th e t r a d i t i o n a l l i t e r a t i s p i r i t a n d refreshment fo r the m i n d i n brush, i n k a n d paper . Prof. K i n g t u r n e d 70 t h i s year, the age t o f o l l o w w h a t t he h e a r t d e s i r e s . A s t h e Ch i n e se s a y i ng goes, it is rare f o r a p e r s o n to reach the age of 70. Howe v e r, w i t h t o d a y 's m e d i c al advances, 7 0 is n o l o n g er a r a r i t y . B u t i n t o d a y 's w o r l d , a m a n s u ch as Prof. K i n g , w i t h his scholarly c u l t i v a t i o n , b r e a d t h o f m i n d , a t t a i n m e n t s a n d h e a l t h, is r a r e i n d e e d. T h o u g h Prof. K i n g has r e t i r e d , he s t i l l s e r v e s t h e U n i v e r s i t y , l e c t u r i ng a n d c h a i r i n g t he C o m m i t t e e o n B i l i n g u a l i sm f o r t he U n i v e r s i t y . H e has a l w a ys s t r i v en relentlessly to contribute t o the d e v e l o pme n t o f the U n i v e r s i t y a n d to the c o n s t r u c t i o n o f a n e w c i v i l i z a t i o n o r d er for Ch i n a. H e hope s t o c o n t i n ue to reflect a n d to engage i n s u ch u n d e r t a k i n gs i n t h e n e xt decade. H e once s a i d t h a t h i s t o r y c r e a t e d H o n g K o n g a n d H o n g K o n g c r e a t ed h i s t o r y. H e als o said, C h i n a e n t e r ed t h e w o r l d a n d t h e w o r l d e n t e r e d Ch i n a. Prof . K i n g , t h o u g h y o u d i d n o t f o u n d T h e Ch i n e se U n i v e r s i t y, it w a s u n d e r y o u r care a n d t h a t o f its f o r e f a t h e r s t h a t it g r e w a n d p r o s p e r e d. Y o u strode i n t o H o n g K o n g a nd int o The Chinese University, t o g e t h er w i t h colleagues, past a n d present, c r e a t i ng its h i s t o r y. W e are c o n f i d e nt t h a t a f f e c t i o n f o r the U n i v e r s i t y is d e e p i n y o u r h e a r t. Y o u a n d T he Ch i n e s e U n i v e r s i t y o f H o n g K o n g are i n perfect h a r m o n y a n d The C h i n e s e U n i v e r s i t y is h o n o u r e d b y y o u r p r e s e n c e i n i t . M r . C h a n c e l l o r, I n o w respectfully present Prof. Amb r o s e Y.C. K i n g f o r t h e a w a r d o f t he d e g r e e o f D o c t o r o f L aw s, honoris causa. Translated from the Chinese citation written by P r o f . Samuel Cheung. The 62nd Congregation 2 9