Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung Vice-Chancellor of CUHK (2010–2017)

36 中文大學校刊 Chinese University Bulletin | 特刊 Special Supplement 懇談 H earty Talk Do you like the nickname ‘Baby Jao Yiu’? At the beginning—no. Why do they call me Jao Yiu? Only my mother calls me by that name. And isn’t it disrespectful for students to call me ‘baby’? But then I saw it from another angle. Young people nowadays are expressing endearment but not contempt by calling somebody ‘baby’. Then instead of feeling offended, I ended up liking it. It’s funny that now they don’t call me by this nickname anymore. On the personal front, what changes have you experienced during your vice-chancellorship? Fi rstly, I’ve got more exposu re to Chinese culture. It’s a common practice to sign or write an apothegm in Chinese when visiting mainland universities. I have long forgotten how to use the Chinese brush, so I started by practising my signature with brush and ink. The more I practised, the more I found it meaningful. I started to pay attention to what I wrote, be it lines by Su Shi, and words of wisdom by Sun Yat-sen and Lin Zexu. Gradually I began to have deeper feelings for Chinese culture. Then it’s about writing. The study of science is evidence-based, so doctors seldom write about what they feel. Before I became Vice- Chancellor, I didn’t express myself much through writing. Then there were frequent requests for speech or even books, which prompted me to look back to my past and reflect more on myself. One visible change is that I have lost close to 40 pounds. It all started unplanned. After the Occupy Central Movement, I had lost my appetite for quite some time and always took oatmeal over proper meals, which resulted in a loss of about 10 pounds. Friends who noticed this change advised me to do some exercise to avoid muscle loss, and taught me how to remain healthy on a weight loss diet. Next, I registered myself for the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2017 to run with the CUHK team, my first and last chance before I step down. In order to accomplish the 10-km mission, I started my training and was happy to find that running was much easier than I thought with some pounds gone. My weight dropped further with more running, and I was surprised to find that the conditions of my knees, heart and blood pressure began to improve. Exercise has slowed down my ageing, or even rejuvenated me slightly. I am not that old after all. That’s really encouraging and confidence boosting. My morning jog at 6 a.m. from Science Park to Tai Po is a passage of solitude and tranquillity. I can make use of these quiet moments to plan my direction and think about solutions for problems. 喜歡「祖堯BB」這個稱號嗎？ 一開始是不大喜歡的，為甚麼叫我祖堯？ 只有母親才會這樣叫我的。學生叫我作 「BB」，好像欠了一份尊重？後來從另一 個角度看，現在的年輕人就是用這樣的 方式表達親切感的，並非一定有輕蔑之 意，便不覺得被冒犯了，反而有點喜歡。 不過，現在他們卻又沒有這樣稱呼我了。 在個人層面，出任校長這幾年間有甚 麼改變？ 首先是讓我更多機會認識中國文化。我 本已忘了如何拿起毛筆寫字。到國內大 學訪問，往往被要求簽名或題字，於是由 學習簽名開始，寫着寫着，愈發感到有意 思。對書法的內容，如蘇東坡的詩詞，孫 中山、林則徐等近代人的雋語，都會深入 思想一下，無形中令我對中國的文化感受 深了。 還有是寫作。念理科的人講求事實證據， 醫生是很少寫自己的感受的。做校長之 前，比較少寫抒發感情的文章。但遇上要 準備講辭，或應邀出書，會促使自己回顧 一些往事，讓我對自己更多反省。 另外一個有目共睹的改變是體重減了 三十多四十磅，起因有點偶然。佔中運動 過後好一段日子，我因壓力頗大，胃口很 差，只吃麥皮，一下子瘦了十磅左右。醫 學院的朋友便開始給我很多建議，配合 運動控制飲食，減體重而又能保持健康。 到了2016年年終，大學公關處建議我在 卸任之前隨校隊參與渣打馬拉松，為了 順利完成十公里，不失禮於人前，我開始 練跑。發覺原來體重減輕後跑步也輕鬆 得多，跑着跑着，體重再跌。本來年紀漸 大，身體多處出現問題，好像膝蓋、心臟 和血壓開始退化。開始做運動後，才發覺 衰退過程是可以減慢下來，甚至輕微逆 轉的。原來我還不是太老，那真是很大的 鼓勵，也加強了自信心。早上六點起床， 從科學園跑往大埔，沒甚麼人，很寧靜， 是沉思的好機會。我會想想工作的方向， 或如何解決一些難題。