Our Centre joined hands with Kwang Hwa Information and Cultural Centre and commenced the seminar ‘How Indie-bookstores Work’. Scholars from our University and local owners of independent bookshops were invited to participate in the discussion of creating a new horizon in social and literary culture.

Mr Lo Chih-cheng, former Chairperson of Central News Agency (CNA) and former Director of the Kwang Hwa Information and Cultural Centre, was invited by our Centre to participate in a lunch meeting with fellow staff and students of School of Journalism and Communication of our University. Invited by EMBA (Putonghua) and the Research Institute for the Humanities, Mr. Lo also gave a lecture at CUHK by the topic of ‘The Sky of Taipei’ for the Cultural Salon (2012-2013) lectures.

An inter-disciplinary and comparative symposium, ‘Similarities and Differences—The Diversified Development of Min Yue Culture in Taiwan and Hong Kong’ was held by Min-nan Cultural Studies Centre of Taiwan Cheng Kung University, Museum of Taiwan Literature of Tainan and our Centre. The symposium encompassed enlightening discussion on architecture, religion, drama and literature in Minnan and Cantonese culture, Taiwan and Hong Kong contexts.

Our Centre initiated a meeting among Professor Huang Tzu-chin from the Institute of Modern History of Academia Sinica, Professor Lynne Nakano, the Chairperson the Department of Japanese Studies and Professor Ng Wai Ming, also from the Department of Japanese Studies. A renowned scholar in the field of Sino-Japanese history, Prof Huang explored the possible collaboration on Sino-Japanese studies between Institute of Modern History and Department of Japanese Studies. Invited by EMBA (Putonghua) and the Research Institute for the Humanities, Prof Huang gave a lecture at our University on ‘An Inquest of the Development of Sino-Japanese Relations through historical and cultural perspectives’ for the Cultural Salon (2012-2013) lectures.

The opening ceremony of our Centre was held on 11 April 2012. Our Centre is established to further the bondage of CUHK and the universities in Taiwan, and to foster bilateral studies in Arts and Humanities. Professor Joseph J.Y. Sung, Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ambrose King, former Vice-Chancellor and Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Mr. Fredric Mao, Convenor of the Hong Kong-Taiwan Cultural Cooperation Committee, Professor Joseph Lee, Vice-President from the Taiwan Central University, Professor Leung Yuen-sang, Dean of Arts, Professor Hsiung Ping-chen, Director of the Research Institutes for the Humanities and Professor Desmond Hui, former Director of our Centre, graced the opening ceremony.

As the first academic event of our Centre, the ‘Taiwan Film and Culture Symposium’, had the pleasure of having Prof. Lee Ou-fan, Sin Wai Kin Professor of Chinese Culture, as the moderator.  Speakers included Prof. Michelle Bloom from the University of California, Riverside, Prof. Liao Hsien-hao from the Taiwan University (former Director of the Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs), and Prof. Lin Wen-chi from the Taiwan Central University.  Excerpts from a number of Taiwan films were demonstrated during the symposium, including Hou Hsiao-hsien's The Flight of the Red Balloon, Flowers of Shanghai, Tsai Ming-liang's What Time is it There?, Ang Lee's Lust, Caution and Cheng Yu-chieh's Yang Yang.