新活日常 Day in, day out: Critical Insights into the New Normal

The Story of Architectural Styles in Hong Kong

Speaker: Dr. HAN Man
Moderator: Dr. WONG Yu Hin Sampson

In Cantonese (with sign language interpreting)

About the Talk

In recent years, the public has become increasingly interested in Hong Kong's own architectural culture. Style is a common concept the public use to understand the buildings. For example, many buildings in Hong Kong are labeled as “Bauhaus Style” and “Brutalism Style". Are these labels accurate? Where do these styles originate? What other architectural styles are there in Hong Kong? Besides architectural styles, what other concepts and perspectives can help the public to appreciate and experience Hong Kong architecture? This talk will attempt to answer these questions with concrete examples.

About the Speaker

Dr. Han Man is a lecturer at the School of Architecture, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His research interests are in the history of 20th-century Hong Kong architecture and the conservation and revitalization of modern architecture in Hong Kong.

新活日常 Day in, day out: Critical Insights into the New Normal

Modernism in Hong Kong’s Everyday Architecture

Speaker: Prof. TSUI Chung Man Carmen
Moderator: Dr. WONG Yu Hin Sampson

In Cantonese (with sign language interpreting)

About the Talk

Since the 1930s, the Modern Movement of architecture, which emphasizes the functionality, economic benefits, and production methods of buildings, has widely influenced architectural design in Hong Kong. The city’s public buildings, such as markets, schools, and town halls, best embody the spirit of architectural modernism. Their plain and efficient design meets the social and economic needs of the modern era. They are everyday architecture that is closely tied to people’s daily life. Because they can be found in every district, public buildings are easily mistaken as unimportant or ordinary. In this talk, the speaker will examine the ways Hong Kong’s everyday architecture adapts to the challenges of modern society.

About the Speaker

Carmen C. M. Tsui is an architect and urban historian. She is an associate professor in the Department of History at Lingnan University. She obtained her Ph.D. in Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley. Her research focuses have been on the housing history of China and Hong Kong, heritage conservation and management, urban history, and architectural modernism in Asia. She is the author of Everyday Architecture in Context: Public Markets in Hong Kong (1842–1981).

新活日常 Day in, day out: Critical Insights into the New Normal

A Gentleman’s Guide to Old-Fashioned (but Sustainable) Eating

Speaker: Prof. TAI Pui Kuen Amos
Moderator: Dr. LI Ming

In Cantonese (with sign language interpreting)

About the Talk

What shall we eat for dinner? This deceptively simple question has indeed perplexed modern consumers in the developed world, in the midst of a cornucopia of food choices, further complicated by a dizzying array of food advices from nutrition and health “experts” as well as justifiable warnings that what we eat now may be contributing to social exploitation, environmental pollution and climate change. How shall we, then, eat with optimal health benefit, enjoyment and conscience? Michael Pollan’s answer to such a profound question is just seven simple words: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” This is indeed as old-fashioned (in a sense that our ancestors have been eating like this for millennia) as it is revolutionary against the backdrop of our highly industrialized food systems. In this talk, we will discuss all these, and explore how Hong Kong people may rethink the opening question for the sake of personal health, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability.

About the Speaker

Dr. Amos P. K. Tai is an Associate Professor in the Earth System Science Programme of the Faculty of Science, as well as the Associate Director of the Office of University General Education, at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Amos obtained his B.Sc. in Environmental Engineering Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Engineering from Harvard University, and was a Croucher Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT before he joined CUHK in 2013. Amos specializes in atmospheric chemistry and physics, agricultural and forest meteorology, and biosphere-atmosphere interactions. His research combines high-performance Earth system modeling and multivariate statistical analysis of observations to examine the complex interactions between ecosystems and the atmosphere, addressing pressing issues such as the impacts of air pollution and climate change on ecosystems and food security, and how agriculture and forests can be better managed to mitigate environmental impacts. His work has been published in top-ranking journals in the atmospheric and environmental sciences including Nature Climate Change, Nature Food, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, and Environmental Research Letters, and earned him the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Research Award for Young Scientists in 2015, Early Career Award from the Research Grants Council (Hong Kong) in 2014, and founding membership of the Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences in 2018. Amos is also a passionate educator, having received the prestigious CUHK Vice-Chancellor Exemplary Teaching Award and Faculty of Science Exemplary Teaching Award, and contributed significantly to the establishment and development of the Earth System Science Programme. Amos delights in promoting popular science knowledge to the public, especially on topics such as climate change, environmental sustainability, and faith and science. He regularly gives talks in schools and public avenues, and has participated in and hosted TV and radio programs many times to promote science and environmental education. He has also provided professional consulting services to government departments including the Highways Department and Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.

新活日常 Day in, day out: Critical Insights into the New Normal

Language and Music: Nutrients to the Developing Brain

Speaker: WONG Chun Man Patrick 
Moderator: Klaus COLANERO

In English (with sign language interpreting)

About the Talk

Every known human society has language and music, even when other cultural traits are absent.  The impact of language and music on child development cannot be overstated.  Language improves behavioral adaptation, advances cognitive development, and enables academic learning.  Music enhances parent-child bonding, regulates emotions, and facilitates identity formation.  Besides their pivotal roles in our culture and in child development, the fact that language and music both rely on complex sound sequences naturally invites interdisciplinary studies that investigate how they relate to each other and to our biology and culture.  In this GE Salon, Wong will discuss the importance of everyday language and music stimulation on the developing brain and offer strategies to promote language and music in the child's daily life that can be implemented in the new normal.

About the Speaker

Patrick C M Wong is a cognitive neuroscientist, linguist and speech-language therapist.  His research examines cultural and biological factors that lead to variation in language and cognition across individuals.  This body of work has appeared in different interdisciplinary scholarly venues as well as media outlets such as The New York Times and Scientific American.

新活日常 Day in, day out: Critical Insights into the New Normal

"Lamma Mia" Documentary Screening and Sharing Session

Speaker: MA Chi Hang, CHEUK Cheung
Moderator: LUI Wing Sing

In Cantonese (with sign language interpreting)

新活日常 Day in, day out: Critical Insights into the New Normal

Music is…Lonesome Land…Multiverse…

Speaker: WONG Chi Chung
Moderator: YEUNG Yang

In Cantonese (with sign language interpreting)