Newsletter No. 51

CUHKNEWSLETTER Conference on Faulkner Screenplays T he Hong Kong-America Center recently celebrated its inaugural year by sponsoring an international conference on American novelist William Faulkner. Entitled 'William Faulkner: Hollywood and the Med i a ', the conference was directed by the renowned Faulkner scholar, Prof. James B. Meriwether. Prof. and Mrs. Meriwether are now visiting scholars at the centre. Several early Hollywood films for which Faulkner wrote the screenplays were shown, including The Big Sleep, To Have and Have Not, and The Southerner. Each show was introduced by a notable scholar and followed by commentary and discussion. Scholars from Hong Kong, China, Japan, Taiwan and the United States participated in the panel discussions and presented papers. The function served as an introduction to the Faulkner collection at the Hong Kong-America Center, and underscored the importance of the centre in promoting interaction between academic communities in East Asia and the West. Shaw College Celebrates Sixth Founder's Day O ver 200 guests, staff members and students attended Shaw College's sixth founder's day celebration on 12th January. Among the guests of honour was Prof. Fei Xiaotong, Sir Run Run Shaw Distinguished Visiting Scholar 1993-94. Speeches were delivered by Prof. Ma Lin, chairman of the College Board of Trustees, Prof. C. N. Chen, head of college, and representatives from the college student union and alumni association. Prizes were presented to students with outstanding academic performance, and all guests were invited to a tea reception after a cake-cutting ceremony. Celebration activities organized by the college student union f r om 27th January to 4th February included interdepartmental competitions, talks, a feast-for-a-thousand, and a bazaar. Famous Anthropologist Examines Economic Developments in Rural China P rof. Fei Xiaotong, professor of sociology at Peking University, visited Shaw College last month as the college's Sir Run Run Shaw Distinguished Visiting Scholar 1993-94. During his one-week visit, he participated in the college's sixth anniversary celebration activities, and delivered two public lectures: 'Stages of Recent Economic Development in Rural China' on 13th January, and 'From Ecology to Psycho-mental Complex' on 14th January. Prof. Fei is a world-famous social anthropologist. He has contributed much to the study of the Chinese society and social anthropology, and is actively engaged in social affairs, serving as an adviser to the Chinese government on many national issues. He has a long list of publications, the most famous of wh i ch include Peasant Life in China and Rural China. NO. 51FEBRUARY1994 3