Newsletter No. 181

CUHK Newsletter No. 181 4th April 2001 3 Know the True Cause of Knee Pain O steoarthritis is a common degenerative joint condition that usually occurs at the hip, knee, or hand. Osteoarthritis of the knee is particularly common among Hong Kong Chinese and accounts for most of the disability of the elderly. Joint replacement is very often required. A study conducted in 2000 by the Faculty of Medicine found that among men aged 50 or older, 17 per cent had persistent knee pain and 7 per cent could be diagnosed as having osteoarthritis of the knee. The figures for women of the same age were 24 per cent and 13 per cent respectively. A second study revealed that being overweight, knee j o i nt injury, and l i f t i ng o f heavy loads at work are the three ma j or factors c on t r i bu t i ng to osteoarthritis of the knee. The study also found that contrary to popular belief, recreational activities such as j ogg i ng, ba ll games, and dancing do not cause osteoarthritis of the knee. Prof. Jean Woo (left) and Prof. Edith Lau at a press conference to announce the results of their study on osteoarthritis Yale Students Visit New Asia E ight Yale students returned a visit to New Asia College from 4th to 17th March 2001 under the Eighth New Asia-Yale Student Exchange Programme. The students were led by Mr. Kevin Ming, programme coordinator. The theme for this year's exchange being 'Youth Culture', academic talks on youth issues and visits to youth service groups were arranged for the American students. On 13th March, a symposium was held wherein the Yale students presented four reports, respectively on 'Women in American Youth Culture: Relationships, Sex, Marriage, and Eating Disorder', 'Youth Protest and American Politics since World War Two', 'Social Groups of American Youth', and 'Adolescent Drug Use and Drug Control Effort'. New Department Head Series Knowing Art B e t t e r T h r o u g h Its History Prof. Jenny So Outlines Development Plans for the Department of Fine Arts N ew head o f the Department o f Fine Arts, P r o f. Jenny So Fong - s uk is an art historian, specializing in early Chinese art and archaeology. She was research consultant at the Depa r tment o f Far Eastern A r t o f the Metropolitan Museum o f A r t in New York in the eighties, and for some 10 years before j o i n i ng the University, she also worked as curator at the Freer Ga l l e ry o f A r t and A r t h ur M . Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Having worked in museums for so long, she is o f the view that the study o f art history cannot be divorced f r om the art object itself. 'There are some very theoretically oriented art historians out there. But I feel art history has to be based firmly on concrete artefacts. The University with its strong Fine Arts Department and a dedicated art museum that runs frequent loan exhibitions provides an ideal environment for teaching art history,' she pointed out. The department's strong studio art orientation, she said, w i ll be balanced out by a greater emphasis on art history, but one that is grounded in the work o f art. The same adherence to the w o r k o f art a p p l i es to r esea r ch. P r o f . So 's mu s e um ba c k g r ound exposed her to many d i f f e r ent collections, i n particular mainland collections. She is also familiar w i th many private collections i n H o ng Ko n g. She hopes to tap i n to bo th mainland and local collections for her research and teaching, the access to which, she believes, is f ac i l i t a t ed by her phys i cal presence at the Un i ve r s i t y. Her own research focus is jade, b r onze, l acque r, g o l d and s i l ver f r om the Neolithic through the Bronze Period to the Han and Tang Dynasties, as w e l l as the cu l t u r al exchanges w i t h in China, between China and the nomadic cultures o f Central As ia and the Silk Road. P r o f . So is c u r r e n t l y r e v i e w i ng and reconfiguring the academic curriculum so that it w i l l be more attuned to the students' present-day needs. Apa rt f r om o f f e r i ng mo re interesting courses in art history and to attract more students to postgraduate studies in art history, she hopes to conso l i da te the course o f f e r i ngs so that students can maximize their choices and better direct their learning experiences according to their own interest during their three years in the department. She foresees that the depa r tment w i l l continue to maintain a close relationship w i t h the A r t Museum. She aims at developing a course structure that wou ld complement the activities and strengths o f the museum, and w i l l lend her expertise to Prof. Peter Lam, director o f the A r t Museum and her friend o f many years, to help strengthen the museum's collection. She also intends to collaborate w i th Dr. Tang Chung over the construction o f a new Centre for Chinese A r c haeo l ogy and A r t and to organize mo re activities w i t h the a im o f nurturing interest i n Chinese archaeology among the students. ‘ I hope to enable them to see archaeology f r om an art h i s t o r i a n 's p e r s p e c t i ve as oppo s ed to an a n t h r o p o l o g i s t ' s, i . e. h o w a r c h a e o l o gy contributes to the understanding o f the artistic and cultural history o f a period, and in the case o f ancient China, how it even forces us to revise and re-evaluate written history,' she said. There are also plans to make use o f the exhibition space at the new Centre for Chinese Archaeology and A r t to mount exhibitions w i t h special themes, drawing upon collections f r om the mainland. Prof. So also intends to wo rk w i th Prof. Peter L am and Dr. Tang Chung to a l l ow students opportunities to plan and execute an exhibition as part o f their training. 'Wo r k i ng in museums is an obvious option for graduates o f art history, or even fine arts. I f they could have some training in and knowledge o f museum wo r k, it wou ld be very useful,' she remarked. Despite having studied and wo r ked in the US for many years, Prof. So is no stranger to the University. Amo ng the many friends she knows are Prof. Mayching Kao, former chair o f the Fine Arts Department and director o f the A r t Museum; Dr. James Watt, previous director o f the A r t Mu s e um f or many years; and D r . J.S. Lee, benefactor o f the A r t Museum. Over the years, she has participated in conferences organized by the I n s t i t u te o f Ch i nese S t ud i es and the Department o f Chinese Language and Literature. Good teachers and an effective curriculum can open up new horizons and perspectives for students, as Prof. So's own experience in college testifies. Hav i ng majored i n English Literature at Swa r t hmo re Co l l ege w i t h a m i n or i n art history, she decided to go on to study fine arts f or her master degree and Ph.D. at Ha r va rd University, all because o f an excellent art-history professor who opened her eyes to an exciting and new learning experience. Hope f u l ly Prof. So's own experience can be replicated at this university. Piera Chen