Newsletter No. 188

Ancient Te x ts T ranslated Under ICS and YUP Colla b o ra tion T he CHANT Project (Chinese Ancient Texts Database) of the Institute of Chinese Studies has signed an agreement with Yale University Press in July 2001 to publish a series of books under the title Culture and Civilization of China Series. Under the agreement, the CHANT Project w i l l provide the Chinese text of Pre-Han and Han works, which w i l l be translated by prominent scholars invited for the purpose by Yale University Press. The collaboration w i l l enable ancient Chinese literary works to be more accessible to non-Chinese readers, and also bring them closer to the Chinese original. The objective o f the C H A NT Project is to establish a computerized database of the entire body of extant Pre-Han and Han traditional Chinese texts. Since its launch in the late 1980s, the project has completed some 1,000 different texts with a grant from the Research Grants Council. Different editions of a text are collected and modem punctuation, added to them. Citations found in ancient Chinese encyclopaedias and parallel passages found in other texts are used for collation purposes. Textual notes made by famous scholars such as Wang Niansun and his son Yinzhi are also included. New Books HKIAPS Research M o n o g r a p h No. 53 indicators of Social Development: Hong Kong 1999 Edited by Lau Siu-kai, Lee Ming- kwan, Wan Po-san, and Wong Siu- lun, this book presents the findings of the sixth territory-wide Social Indicators Survey conducted largely during the period of May to July 1999. The focus of the survey is on subjective indicators, which include the perceptions, feelings, aspirations, values, beliefs, behavioural tendencies, grievances, and the sense of well-being of Hong Kong residents from different walks of life. The target population comprises adults aged 18 or above who are living in Hong Kong. The questionnaire used in this survey is divided into two parts. The first part is a core component, to be answered by all respondents, on the quality of life. The second part consists of anumber of modules on special topics, each of which is answered by a sub-sample of the respondents. In this survey, there are four special modules: (1) economic culture and value, (2) class and identity, (3) political attitudes, and (4) life satisfaction and social network. ISBN 962-441-553-6, paperback, 226 + xvii pages, HK$60 Art Museum Flower and Bird Painting of the Ming and Qing Periods (In Chinese and English) Edited by Li Chi-kwong, this catalogue accompanies an exhibition jointly organized by the Guangdong Provincial Museum and the CUHK Art Museum. One hundred representative flower and bird paintings of the Ming and Qing periods are selected from the two museums' collections. The best-known painters and styles of this revolutionary period are included: from Lin Liang and Lü Ji of early Ming, who established the court academy style, to Chen Chun and Xu Wei, who introduced the impressionistic splash-ink method, to Zhou Zhimian of late Ming, who created the outline-and-wash technique. The styles of Qing painters covered in the catalogue begin with the boneless style of Yun Shouping, followed by the expressionist fervour of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, and finally, the colourful yet commercial orientation of the 'Shanghai School'. A ll exhibits are reproduced in full colour with detailed descriptions and profiles of the painters. There is also an article by Mr. Zhu Wanzhang of the Guangdong Provincial Museum on the development of flower and bird painting throughout Ming and Qing times. ISBN 962-7101-57-5, hardback, 224 pages (146 colour plates inclusive), HK$400 $42 Million for Four Research Projects Thefollowing four research projects by the University have attracted funding support from local sources: • Development of TCM-based Products w i th K n own Active Ingredients and Verified O r al Absorbability (HK$5,500,000) Sponsors: Innovation and Technology Fund, and Kinetana Hong Kong Herbal Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Principal investigator: Prof. Ge L in (Department of Pharmacology) Co-investigators: Yun K. Tam, Hugh A. Semple, Xing-Fang Li, Vijayalakshmi Damaraju, Robert L. Jones, Albert H.L. Chow • Neuropsychological Intervention Programme for P r i ma ry School Underachievers — a Research Project (HK$ 1,200,000) Sponsor. Quality Education Fund Principal investigator: Prof. Agnes Chan Sui-yin (Department of Psychology) • Quality Schools Project (HK$34,176,700) Sponsor. Quality Education Fund Principal investigators: Prof. Chung Yue-ping (Department of Educational Administration and Policy) and Mr. Chiu Chi-shing (Centre for University and School Partnership) • Life-wide Lea r n i ng Project (HK$ 1,000,000) Sponsor. Education Division, Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, funding from Quality Education Fund Principal investigator. Prof. John Lee Chi-kin (Department of Curriculum and Instruction) Conference Shows the Latest in Mechatronics T he IEEE International Conference on Mechatronics and Mach i ne V i s i on in Practice was j o i n t l y organized by the Department o f Au t oma t i on and Computer-aided Engineering of the University and the relevant units of the City University of Hong Kong from 27th to 29th August 2001 at the Regal Kowloon Hotel. The aim of the conference was to provide a forum for international experts and researchers to present and review advances in mechatronics and machine vision, which have culminated in practical applications, or which promise practical implementation in the very near future. 'Mechatronics' refers to the blending of mechanics, electronics, and computer control into an integrated design. It forms the basis o f an ever growing list o f products o f much technical and commercial value. Mechatronic design can often result in products that are simpler than their predecessors. The conference included exhibitions and live demonstrations of the latest technologies in robotics, sensors, automation, and engineering design. In particular, there were demonstrations o f d r i v i ng animation and three-dimensional visualization o f a virtual dolphin. The keynote speakers were Prof. John B i l l i n g s l ey f r om the U n i v e r s i ty o f Sou t he rn Queensland, Australia, Prof. Henrik I. Christensen from the Royal Institute o f Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, Prof. Ludwik Finkelstein from City University in London, and Prof. Shigeo Hirose from the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan. The programme also included a visit to either the CUHK Department of Automation and Computer-aided Engineering or the Centre for Intelligent Design, Automation, and Manufacturing o f C i t yU on 29th August. Prof. Xu Yangsheng, chairman of the Department of Automation and Computer-aided Engineering, speaking at the conference 50th Anniversary Celebration Activities of Chung Chi College H ighlights for September and October •DistinguishedHistorian Lecture Speaker: Prof. Immanuel Hsu Date: 19th September Time: 4.30 p.m. Venue: Room 126, Institute of Chinese Studies • Cantonese Operatic Song Concert Date: 27th September Time: 7.30 p.m. Venue: Lee Hysan Concert Hall • Opening Ceremony of the Academic Conference on Development of High Technology and Reconstruction of Humanity Date: 6th October Time: 9.30 a.m. Venue: Kilbor nRoom, 3/F, Chung Chi College Administration Building • Research in Women's Health from Knowledge to Practice Date: 6th October Ven u e: Kai Chong Hall, School of Public Health, Prince of Wales Hospital • Souvenir Sale Date: 15th—18th and 22nd—25th October Ti m e: 11.30 a.m.—1.30 p.m.; 6.30 p.m.—8.30 p.m. Venue: 1/F, Chung Chi Tang Date: 19th and 26th October Time and Venue: 11.00 a.m.—11.30 a.m. (G/F, Chapel) 1.00 p.m.—3.00 p.m. (1/F, Chung Chi Tang) • Golden Jubilee Founders' Day Student Festival: Inter-departmental Competitions Date: 15th-26th October Venue: Cluing Chi campus • Opening Ceremony of Golden Jubilee Founders' Day Student Festival Date: 19th October Time: 11.30 a.m. Venue: Chapel • Chuen King Memorial Lecture Speaker. Prof. Morna Hooker Date: 19th October Time: 7.30 p.m. Date: 21st October Time: 2.00 p.m. Venue: YMCA — Kowloon Centre