Newsletter No. 20

CUHK Newsletter No.20 July 1991 The Centre Changed Hands In a city like Hong Kong where rents arerising every day, it has not been easy to maintain a non-profit-making academic organization. Each year the International Advisory Committee of the centre, and the American Council of Learned Societies, which had been responsible for the management of the centre since the early seventies, had the headache of fund raising and managing the budget. Although for many years organizations such as the Carnegie Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, the Luce Foundation and theNational Endowment for the Humanities generously supported the centre when it was the focal point for China research in Far East, as the situation changed it became more difficult to justify asking for support. In 1988 ， therefore, the American Council of Learned Societies decided to transfer the centre to another American or Hong Kong academic organization for management and support. Most Western scholars felt that the Universities Service Centre should remain in Hong Kong, since Hong Kong was still an important place for research into Chinese affairs. Hong Kong scholars also felt that having such a rich library of materials available on their doorstep would encourage and stimulate local Hong Kong researchers themselves. One of the educational goals of The Chinese University is to promote cultural exchange between China and the West. The University has always taken a great interest in China research, and this led to the idea that perhaps it would be in the best interests of both the University and Hong Kong if it were to take over the management of the Universities Service Centre. Negotiations went ahead and the centre moved to The Chinese University campus in the middle of 1988. After a year's frantic preparation the centre reopened in June 1989 ， just in time to welcome the stream of foreign scholars who had to leave China following the Tiananmen Incident. Last February, the centre's International Advisory Committee held its third annual meeting since the transfer of the management rights of the centre to The Chinese University. Everyone present at the meeting expressed great satisfaction with the development of the centre and unanimously agreed to the transfer of ownership of the centre to The Chinese University, thus ensuring that the centre would now remain in Hong Kong forever. A New Lease of L i fe i n CUHK Located as it is within the academic setting of The Chinese University, the centre can obviously be put to fuller use. No entry fees or special application forms are required of foreign scholars wishing to use the centre 一 all that is asked is that they should be willing to give a talk at one of the centre's regular lunchtime seminars. These seminars, held twice a month, attract many people interested in China and usually give rise to much useful discussion. Researchers are also asked to acknowledge the services provided by the centre, should any of their work be published after research there. The centre can also help with application for visas, accommodation arrangements and other problems arising. Last year the centre received a subsidy from the American Council of the Learned Societies to invite famous scholars to lecture there. Most of these guest speakers are accomplished professors who have studied at the centre in the past. They often recall with nostalgia their early days at the centre, where many of them first discovered their ideals. Beginning from last year, undergraduate students of The Chinese University have been granted limited access to the collection. Eventually the centre may be open to postgraduates and even students from other colleges and universities. Because of the amount of support that the centre has received from other departments at the University, especially the library, its management has improved and its finances have been guaranteed. For a Hong Kong that is destined to return to Chinese sovereignty soon, the maintenance of a superlative collection of resources on China is vital. As that time approaches we are fortunate to have an already well-established Chinese research centre in the form of the Universities Service Centre. 6