Bulletin No. 1, 2012

Floral Festival 2012   23  No gap between the generations: Rebecca Pan and Chet Lam East meets West and infinite possibilities are born Snapshot by Lake Ad Excellentiam On 29 March, huge props taking the forms of punctuation marks and numerals were found decorating the lawn by Lake Ad Excellentiam . Teacher and students started to gather by the lakeside early in the afternoon. Some sat by the blossoming flowers and trees, sharing their views on the poems on display while enjoying the University’s desserts and snacks. Others chose to write with Chinese brush and ink, take photos, or compose a letter to herself or himself to be read 10 years later. ‘Slow down’ was the gala’s theme. It gave students an opportunity to live in the present moment, and get in touch with nature. In the evening, a rich cross-cultural feast integrating western and Chinese music, modern and classical literature was hosted on the stage under the tree canopy. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons paired up with the recitation of the poem Spring written by Prof. Laurence Wong ; Chet Lam ’s guitar went with famous poet Bei Dao ’s work; and there was a fabulous excerpt from a Kunqu opera. These cross-over performances were presented by students who had been coached intensively by veteran singer Ms. Rebecca Pan , music director of the floral festival. She demonstrated by example her insistence on aesthetics and beauty, and her open-mindedness about art. Thirty-nine students, including those from the Department of Music, the Tolo Poet Association, and the Chinese Music Society of New Asia College, took part in the performance and some 30 volunteers from various departments helped with the event. All seats in front of the stage were filled. The rest of the audience sat on the grass or stood on the slope. Those who could not enter the venue looked on from the pedestrian walk above the slope. Late at night, the brightly lit lakeside, with people lingering, was still festive. The I·CARE Floral Festival, customized to enhance the holistic development of students, had come to an end. But the alternative mode of university education that it revealed will surely inspire its participants to dream more and venture further in the days to come.