Newsletter No. 199

Information in this section can only  be accessed with CWEM password .   若要瀏覽本部分的資料， 請須輸 入 中大校園電子郵件密碼 。 CUHK Newsletter No. 199 19th March 2002 3 regional specificities found in a locality w h i c h man i f est themselves i n the vernacular environment exist side by side evidence indicating the influences of a global Han culture. The project identifies which are the global Han elements and which are the local elements in the village setting,' explained Prof. Ho. He added that even regional characteristics could not be taken to apply to all the villages within a region. For example, Hakka culture is sometimes taken to cover roughly the region stretching from western Fujian to eastern Guangdong and southern Jiangxi. But it would be a sweeping generalization, as the research findings indicate, to assume that Hakka culture is un i f o rm throughout that vast territory. There are diverse branches of Hakka culture and these manifest themselves in multiple forms architecturally, linguistically, and in customs in small localities, which can be a county or a village or groups o f villages. Similarly while fengshui figures prominently in the construction o f the villages, it does not give rise to uniform form, but rather, mu l t i f a r i ous forms resulting from individual interpretations of the overarching principles. In short, no two villages are the same. Difficulties Encountered A major difficulty of the study turned out to be finding the right informants. Prof. Ho drew up a list of questions to pose to the villagers, but not all the questions could be answered, especially in mainland villages. 'My list was a bit idealistic. The changes in China over the last century have been enormous. Many landowners who could have answered our questions died in the 50s due to the land reforms and then later in the Cultural Revolution. The ones who are living, mostly peasants, are not very informative as they do not exactly know what happened in the past. The situation is better in Hong Kong where we found elders who could tell us what happened,' said Prof. Ho. The sampling is also very small. China has a total of about one million villages. Prof. Ho believes that a much clearer picture could have been painted i f more villages had been included in the study. The results of the study have been published in Orientations, a magazine on Asian art and architecture. As a result of this project, two books are now under p l ann i ng to document the research findings. Prof. Ho has also received ano t her ea rma r ked g r ant ( a r ound HK$ 1,600,000) to conduct a three-year architectural study on symbolism and meaning of constructions and decorations of Chinese buildings in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta. Cultural Tourism When in the field, the researchers were often asked by curious villagers why they were interested in 'old and outdated' things, reflecting that modem objects are deemed far more desirable by the villagers. The importance a society gives to the preservation of its past reflects the stage of its economic development, the educational level of its citizens, and its cultural values etc. Prof. Ho believes that an effective way to convince the local residents to preserve t r ad i t i on is by showing them how it can be adapted to satisfy modem living standards and used to generate income while preserving the artefacts. That was why in all three sites on the mainland, villagers interviewed as well as government officials coordinating the visit were given the impression that the researchers were there to help develop tourism. And in Ping Shan, the first heritage trail in Hong Kong was set up. Cultural tourism is a controversial issue brought up by the project. Should we preserve for profit, or would it reinforce va l ues that i n h e r e n t ly go against preservation of tradition? These questions are equally pertinent to Hong Kong as to mainland China. Piera Chen Service to the Community and International Organizations • Prof. Liu PakWai, pro-vice-chancellor, has been re-appointed by the Chief Executive of the HKSAR as a member of the Commission on Strategic Development for one year from 1st February 2002. • Prof. Chan Wing Wall, professor of music, has been appointed by the Chief Executive of the HKSAR as a member of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council for three years from 1st January 2002. He also conducted the choir of the Hong Kong Japanese Club, Hong Kong Oratorio Society, and the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra to perform Mozart's Requiem on 3rd February 2002 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. The concert was presented by the Hong Kong Japanese Club with all income being donated to the Community Chest. • Dr. Cheung Ping Kuen, programme director (Chinese Section) of the Independent Learning Centre, has been appointed by the Chief Executive of the HKSAR as a member of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council for three years from 1st January 2002. • Mr. Hardy Tsoi Sik Cheong, arts administrator and manager of Sir Run Run Shaw Hall, has been appointed by the Chief Executive of the HKSAR as a member of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council for three years from 1st January 2002. • Prof. Kenneth Young, pro-vice-chancellor, has been re-appointed by the Education and Manpower Bureau of the HKSAR as a member of the University Grants Committee for one year from 1st April 2002. • Prof. Chan Kai Ming, professor of orthopaedics and traumatology, has been elected by medical practitioners registered in Parts I and III of the General Register to be a member of the Medical Council of Hong Kong for three years from 24th January 2002. • Prof. Janita Chau Pak Chun, assistant professor in the Nethersole School of Nursing, has been re-appointed by the Nursing Council of Hong Kong as a co-opted member of the Registered Nurse (General) Examination Sub-committee until 5th January 2003. • Prof. Joyce Ma Lai-Chong, professor in the Department of Social Work, has been appointed by the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Social Workers Association as the chief editor of the Hong Kong Journal of Social Work for the years 2002 and 2003. ( I n f o rma t i on 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.) ‧ P e r s o n a l i a • 人 事 動 態 ‧ P e r s o n a l i a • 人 事 動 態 •