Newsletter No. 160

2 No. 160 4th March 2000 CUHK Newsletter Founder of Soka University Visits CUHK Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, president of Soka Gakkai International and founder of Soka University, visited the University on 14th February 2000 at the invitation of the vice-chancellor. Prof. Arthur K.C. Li was conferred an honorary doctorate by Soka University in December 1999. Featured here are (from left) Prof. Richard M.W. Ho, University Registrar, Mr. Shuichi Suzaki, translator, Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, Prof. Arthur K.C.Li, and Prof. Lee Wood Hung, chairman of the CUHK Department of Japanese Studies, before their courtesy meeting. New Asia College/Yale University Student Exchange Programme E ight New Asia students, led by Dr. Peter Man, college secretary of New Asia College, spent two weeks in the States under the seventh New Asia College/Yale University Student Exchange Programme from 29th January to 12th February, exploring various issues under the theme of 'Family'. During their stay at Yale, the students presented four reports, namely 'One Child Policy in China', 'Cross- Border Marriages Between Hong Kong and Mainland China', 'Filipino Maids and Their Impact on Hong Kong Families', and 'Change in Female's Role and Status Within Family' in an academic symposium. They also paid visits to US families, elementary and high schools, and other organizations such as Planned Parenthood, and toured New York andWashington, DC. Yale students will pay a reciprocal visit to New Asia in March, during which they will present reports on family issues in the States in a symposium to be held on 14th March. Upon completion of the Hong Kong programme, the Yale group will tour Guangzhou for two days before returning to the States. Service to the Community and International Organizations • Prof. Liu Pak-wai, pro-vice-chancellor, has been reappointed by the Chief Executive of the HKSAR as a member of the Commission on Strategic Development for two years from 1st February 2000. • Prof. Leung Ping-chung, professor of orthopaedics and traumatology, was appointed by the Chief Executive of the HKSAR to the Rehabilitation Advisory Committee for two years from 1st January 2000. He was also appointed as a member of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council for six months from 1st January 2000. • Prof. Japhet Law, professor in the Department of Decision Sciences and Managerial Economics, was appointed by the Chief Executive of the HKSAR as a member of the Licensing Appeals Board for one year from 1st January 2000. • Prof. Sydney Chung, professor of surgery, was appointed by the Secretary for Health and Welfare to the Medical Council of Hong Kong for three years from 24th January 2000. • Prof. Chan Wing-wah, professor in the Department of Music, was appointed as a member of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council for six months from 1st January 2000. His orchestral composition 'Moon over Mountain Pass' was performed at the fund-raising concerts for the earthquake victims in Kaohsiung and Taichung, Taiwan, from 20th to 22nd December 1999. • Dr. Cheung Ping-kuen, senior instructor in the Independent Learning Centre, was appointed as a member of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council for two years from 1st January 2000. • Prof. Kan Wing-kay, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, was appointed as a member of the Shatin District Council of the HKSAR for three years from 1st January 2000. • Dr. TsoWung-wai, senior lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry, was appointed as a member of the Shatin District Council of the HKSAR for three years from 1st January 2000. • Dr. Joseph Lau, director of the Centre for Clinical Trials and Epidemiological Research, was appointed as a member of the Sub-committee on Public Education on Rehabilitation of the Rehabilitation Advisory Committee for two years from 1st January 2000. He was also appointed as a member of the Scientific Committee of the Institute of Heart Health Promotion, Hong Kong College of Cardiology, from January 2000. Besides, he was invited by the Management Advisory Committee of the Red Ribbon Centre and UNAIDS Collaboration Centre for Technical Support as a resource person for the centres for two years from 1st February 2000. • Prof. Victor Chan, associate professor in the Department of Music, was re-elected as vice- chairman of the Hong Kong Composer's Guild for two years from 2000. He was also presented the Raymond Weil (Geneve) Outstanding Musical Achievement Award on 5th November 1999. • Prof. Jack Cheng, professor in the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, was conferred a visiting professorship by Sichuan University for three years from January 2000. • Prof. Daniel Shek, professor in the Department of Social Work, was reappointed as a member of the editorial board of Research on Social Work Practice for three years and was invited to serve as an international consultant on the editorial board of the American Journal of Family Therapy. • Prof. Lawrence Wong, associate professor in the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, was appointed to the editorial board of Neuro- epidemiology and the Journal of Neuroimaging. He was also conferred a visiting professorship by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences of Peking Union Medical College. ( I n f o r m a t i o n in this section is provided by the Information and Public Relations Office. Contributions should be sent direct to that office for registration and verification before publication.) One of 24 Areas of Excellence at CUHK The Universities Service Centre A Library Incomparable in its Collection and its Charm Ms. Jean Hung, assistant director of USC T he Universities Service Centre (USC) occupying the top two floors of the Tin Ka Ping Building is arguably one of the w o r l d ' s best l i b r a r i es f or contemporary China studies, and definitely one of its most user-friendly. Evolving Role Starting out as a China research centre established by Western scholars in Hong Kong in the early 60s, when it was impossible to enter the People's Republic of China for research purposes, the role of the USC has since expanded as a result of the socio-political developments of China and Hong Kong over the f o l l ow i ng four decades. China's adoption of the Open Door Policy in the late 70s meant that Hong Kong's and hence the centre's original role as a watch post for China observers was losing importance. Western scholars and students of China studies went to the PRC, some of them on scholarships that supported studies conducted only in mainland China. It was then that the centre began strengthening its other function — collecting research materials on China with an emphasis on first-hand and reference publications in the social sciences and the humanities. The reputation it now enjoys among famous China scholars such as Ezra Vogel, Lucien Bianco, and Jonathan Linger, as a library incomparable in its coverage of materials on post-1949 China, owes itself to that move of immense foresight made some 20 years ago. Who Are the Users? The centre's owne r sh ip was transferred to The Chinese University in 1988. Until then, the centre had been well known only in China studies circles in the West, as most of its users had been Western scholars. But after the late 80s, the composition of its users has been more diverse. Japanese, Koreans, and Chinese from Taiwan have been coming in increasing numbers. The number of local teachers and graduate students using the centre has also risen after 1990. More recently, w i th increased interaction between Hong Kong and China ma i n l and, the number of mainland scholars expressing an interest in visiting the centre has also been staggering. Many of these mainland scholars might have heard about the USC from Western scholars doing fieldwork in the PRC Yet, for financial reasons, only those visiting Hong Kong at the invitation of local university departments had the opportunity to use the USC's services. Luckily, the centre received allocations from the Research Grant Council's Central Allocation Fund last year to finance research trips by mainland Chinese scholars to the USC. The scheme is des i gned to benefit over 10 mainland scholars each year, with a v i ew to maximizing usage of t h e c e n t r e ' s services, fostering n ew r e s e a r ch relationships between scholars f r om d i f f e r e nt regions, and contributing to the development of social science on the mainland by g i v i n g t h e se scholars international exposure. Although the centre's role as a research base for foreign China scholars is now obsolete, it has remained steadfast in its new mission of promoting China studies among local and mainland scholars, and its reputation has only strengthened. Ms. Jean Hung, assistant director of the USC, said, 'Such a centre needs an academic environment in which to thrive. We always tell users about other researchers who are engaged in similar research at the University in the hope of facilitating communication and collaboration among scholars from Hong Kong, the mainland, and overseas. The USC also has a free climate for academic discussion. I've been told by mainland scholars who have lived in the US or Europe that, to their own surprise, their experience at this centre has been more rewarding than elsewhere in the wo r l d .' She has also encountered scholars from England and Australia, for A corner of the USC