CUHK Research

The Historical Anthropology of Chinese Society Funding approved: HK$23.447M Indicative project time-frame: 2010–2017 This project adopts the multi-disciplinary approach of historical anthropology to study Chinese history. Drawing on historical documents and field research, the project looks into regional variations in China over the past 1,000 years. While different parts of China are unified under the Chinese state, many social and cultural changes had evolved locally and independently. Meanwhile, similarities may be related to the history of the incorporation of different geographical areas into the Chinese state and the administrative arrangements by which they were incorporated. This project studies 15 geographic areas in China to recover the history of both how a local society acquires and identifies with its own characteristics, and how it is incorporated into, and accepted, the broad expanse of a unified culture. The project team documents local ritual traditions and reconstructs the history of the local institutions in which they were employed. Centre for Organelle Biogenesis and Function Funding approved: HK$47.25M The project team discovered a novel organelle termed EXPO (Exocyst-positive Organelle), introducing a new concept into the study of protein secretion in plants. EXPO mediates an unconventional protein secretion. One of its potential functions is to release antibiotics to the surface of the plant to resist bacteria, viruses and contagion. This hitherto unknown unconventional protein secretion exists in all plants. An understanding of its functions and channels of communication will benefit the study of biofuel and biotechnology. The project will have potential applications for the biotechnology industry in Hong Kong and China. 中國社會的歷史人類學研究 撥款：2,344.7萬港元 暫定研究期限：2010年至2017年 本項目以跨學科的歷史人類學方法研究中國 歷史，結合田野和文獻研究，探討中國各地 社會過去一千年來的歧異。中國歷朝雖天下 一統，社會和文化的轉變卻因地而異，亦各 有發展，相同之處則與各地歸於統一的先 後，以及當時政府的相對措施有關。本項目 在中國十五個地理區域進行研究，分析各 地社會如何保存其本土特色和融入大一統文 化。研究隊會記錄當地的禮儀習俗，以了解 社會制度的演變。 細胞器生物合成及功能研究中心 撥款：4,725萬港元 本項目研究團隊最先發現一類新細胞器，命 名為EXPO，革新了植物蛋白質分泌的研究 概念。EXPO主要調節一種從未被發現的蛋 白質分泌途徑，其潛在功能之一是釋放抗菌 劑至植物表面，以抵禦細菌、病毒和外來傳 染物入侵。所有植物均有這種非常規蛋白質 分泌，但却少為人知，若能了解其功能和傳 輸途徑，當有助推展生物燃料與植物生物技 術的研究。本項目對本港和內地生物技術產 業的發展有極大潛在應用價值。 48 中大研與學