Newsletter No. 535

07 # 5 3 5 | 0 4 . 0 4 . 2 0 1 9 Source: Chung Chi Chaplaincy 馮通 教授的十指在琵琶弦上疾走，技韻傳神。曼妙樂韻宛如他身後群山綿延不盡的霧氣，彌 漫崇基學院禮拜堂偌大的空間。觀眾都屏氣凝神，沉醉於繞樑古曲。 琵琶有二千多年歷史，最早出現於秦朝。其名源於彈撥手法，揮灑向前為「琵」，向後彈撥為 「琶」。唐朝以前，所有抱在懷中彈撥的樂器都泛稱「琵琶」。琵琶曲目有文武之分：文曲柔 和細膩，寫景抒情；武曲氣勢磅礴，高亢激昂。馮教授於午間心靈綠洲演奏的文曲《平沙落 雁》、《青蓮樂府》及《月兒高》，是繁囂生活的一抹清風。 馮教授自十二歲起彈奏琵琶，師從南派泰斗 呂培原 先生。呂氏是香港中樂界的拓荒者，於 1961年成立香港中國國樂團，是香港校際音樂節的發起人之一，也是中大音樂系首位琵琶 老師。馮教授曾有幸在2014年於「清雅頌：呂培原琵琶古琴演奏會」與年過八旬的老師合奏 《青蓮樂府》。 今次午間心靈綠洲令我印象最深的是《月兒高》，此曲描述海上明月升沉的過程，據聞有很 多合奏版本，以琵琶獨奏最考功夫，馮教授按呂氏傳譜獨奏此曲，他的輪指技藝細密分明， 漸進對比到位，令人有如置身千層玉宇觀看朦朧變幻之景，讚嘆明月清雅之美。一陣輕快的 彈奏過後，樂曲首句緩緩重現，冰輪漸漸西沉，四周回歸幽靜。 琵琶是單旋律樂器，十分着重音色，平日習慣聽流行曲或和弦音樂的觀眾可能略有不慣，但 我欣賞琵琶文曲的清幽古雅，其淳厚曲風着實洗滌人心。 Prof. Fung Tung opened the recital with his mellow rhythm and flawless technique, gliding his fingertips across the pipa strings. Like the mist lingering over the distant hills behind him, his mellifluous ancient melody filled the spacious Chung Chi College Chapel and held the audience spellbound. Since its first appearance in the Qin dynasty, pipa has existed for more than 2,000 years. The lute-like instrument takes its name from the direction of plucking: ‘pi’ and ‘pa’, which mean plucking away from and towards oneself, respectively. All the string instruments played by being plucked in one’s lap were named ‘pipa’ before the Tang dynasty. Pipa pieces are categorized into wen and wu . The wen style is more lyrical and slower in tempo; the wu pieces are more rhythmic and vigorous. The wen -style Wild Geese Descending on a Sandy Beach , The Green Lotus and The Moon Aloft played by Professor Fung ushered in a welcome breeze amid the hustle and bustle of modern life. Professor Fung has been playing pipa since the age of 12, under the tutelage of the southern school grandmaster Mr. Lui Pui-yuen who is a pioneer in the Hong Kong Chinese music circle. Mr. Lui founded the Chinese National Music Troupe in 1961. He was one of the forerunners of the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival and the first pipa teacher in CUHK’s Department of Music. Professor Fung considered himself extremely fortunate to have played The Green Lotus with the octogenarian in ‘In Praise of Elegance: Lui Pui-yuen Pipa Guqin Recital’ at the University of Hong Kong in 2014. The Moon Aloft played at the Midday Oasis impressed me the most. The piece describes the oblique ascension and descension of the moon above the sea. Among all the ensemble and recital editions, pipa recital is the most challenging. Professor Fung played the score transcribed by Mr. Lui. His refined tremolo and crescendo were mesmerizing, lifting me to the dreamy sky to appreciate the sublime moon up close. After a vivacious allegro returned the first motif. The moon gradually descended and its surroundings settled into tranquility again. Pipa is a single melodic instrument, for which nothing is as important as its tone quality. Those who are used to popular music or chordal harmony may find the pipa performance less gripping. But I like the quaint and quiet wen -style pipa pieces, which are soul-cleansing enough. J. Lau 古風雅韻 Mellifluous Melody 科技的高速發展，滲透進現代生活的每一個層面，令不少人認為不久將來很多工種必會消 失，其中最高危的包括工廠技工、司機和收銀員。 專業人士也好不了哪裏去。現在有些電腦程式已代替了醫生為病人診症；IBM開發的一個 人工智能法律研究平台AI Ross，也被愈來愈多的美國律師行採用。其他專業人士如經濟師 也將面對同樣科技革命的挑戰。 中大金融學專業應用副教授 趙善銘 博士，在一篇題為The rise of the tech economist — a scientific upgrade for the economist profession?（ Asia Asset Management Journal ， 2017年12月）的文章中提到近年出現的「科技經濟師」，並歸因為「電子裝置製造出並錄存了 大量數據，以及用來分析這些數據的計算工具的長足發展。」 趙博士也留意到大型科技公司如亞馬遜等，聘用愈來愈多唸經濟出身的人，進行數據分析以 解決商業問題，這些經濟師的職稱通常是「數據科學家」。 數據分析學也是中大經濟學本科課程的一個專修範圍。中大的經濟學設在社會科學院，令它 跟與其他與人類行為及社會現象息息相關的學科更接近，有利學生發展出更廣闊視野，以及 數據運用以外的技能。 數碼時代的經濟師，也委實需要有數碼時代的本事。趙博士在上述文章中這樣作結：「成功 的科技經濟師，除了能把經濟理論應用到不同的商業難題上，也必須能與來自其他界別如銷 售、宣傳及資訊科技的專才緊密合作。他更要有編碼及計量經濟學的認識，且與時並進，因 為數據管理及分析將會是工作愈來愈重要的一部分。」 立志獻身經濟學的同學們，你們準備好迎接挑戰了沒有？ The rapid development of technology in all facets of modern life has given rise to the prediction that many jobs would disappear in the foreseeable future. Among those tipped to go to the museum basement are factory hands, drivers and cashiers. The prospects for the professionals are not rosy, either. Some of the tasks in medical diagnosis are being done by computers instead of doctors. IBM’s AI Ross, a legal research platform powered by AI, has been employed by more and more law firms in the US. It is inevitable that other professionals, economists included, will face a similar technological makeover. In an article entitled ‘The rise of the tech economist—a scientific upgrade for the economist profession?’ ( Asia Asset Management Journal , December 2017), Dr. Seen-meng Chew , Associate Professor of Practice in Finance of CUHK, notes the emergence of ‘tech economists’ in the last decade and attributes it to ‘the deluge of data created and recorded by electronic devices, and the advancement of computational tools available to analyse these data.’ He also observes that tech companies like Amazon are employing an increasingly larger number of economists, often under the title of ‘data scientist’, to perform data analysis and solve business problems. Data analytics is in fact one area in CUHK’s undergraduate programme of economics that students can choose to concentrate on. That the programme is housed in the Faculty of Social Science puts it in proximity to disciplines related to the study of human behaviour and social phenomena. It will nurture a wider perspective and develop relevant skills in addition to numeracy. This is indeed required of the 21st century economist, as Dr. Chew concludes the abovementioned article: ‘one must not only have the intellectual flexibility to apply economic theories to a variety of business issues, but must also be able to work closely with professionals from other fields, including sales, marketing, and IT. Moreover, one needs to acquire or upgrade skills in coding and econometrics, as data management and analysis will become an increasingly important part of the job.’ Ye who are intent on making economics your lifelong pursuit, are you up for the challenge? T.C . 數碼時代的經濟師 Pointers for the 21st Century Economist 字 裏 科 技 / T ech T alks 藝 士 匹 靈 / ARTS pirin