Bulletin No. 1, 2015

Literacy Culture on and beyond Campus  17  he was a student at the University. ‘When I was a member of the Chinese University Student Press , I used to read with other members during the summer break. For example, we once chose Hong Kong literature as a theme and read a lot of books related to that theme. I remember that we asked Prof. Lo Wai-luen and Prof. Wong Kai-chee to recommend a booklist to us. We read the works of Liu Yi-chang , Wong Bik-wan and Xi Xi . My knowledge of Hong Kong literature was greatly expanded after that summer.’ The learning mode of Professor Chow’s reading group is different from that of how university education is taught now. He says, ‘The current university system seems to define what learning is: getting credits, going to class, learning from PowerPoint slides, taking exams. People think that learning means satisfying these steps. It’s passive learning. Our reading group is not like that. We discuss what essays we should read, we read them together, give presentations on our own initiative. The teacher-student relationship is different. It’s a different intellectual journey.’ In his opinion, an ideal university education should encourage the pursuit of knowledge without specific goals and facilitate spontaneous discussions. Such a learning model is similar to that of small colleges at Oxford and Cambridge or that of ancient Chinese colleges. Professor Chow says, ‘I’m not a teacher in the reading group. I don’t give lectures there. I’m on an equal footing with other members.’ Prof. Chow Po-chung