Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 2006

Chinese University Bulletin Autumn · Winter 2006 Evolution of Chinese Studies ‘Being Chinese ourselves, Chinese Studies cannot be irrelevant to our lives. Chinese culture and tradition influence us and our society in positive and negative ways. It is definitely not in our interest to be ignorant about them.When facedwith the formidable impact of globalization, understanding of Chinese culture and tradition becomes even more acute as we seek and reassert our own collective soul and identity. After two centuries of responding to the challenges of Western impact, tradition and modernity in the Chinese context have become increasingly interwoven. The study of Chinese culture and tradition needs not be confined to the study of the past. It can be a study of a living “past” and its scholarship can be connected closely to the present and the future,’ says Prof. Billy So Kee-long, Chairman of the Steering Committee for Chinese Studies, Professor of History, and Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor of CUHK. Inheriting the tradition of Chinese Studies since the turn of the 20th century and influenced by European Sinology, world- renowned Chinese Studies experts at the constituent colleges of CUHK in the 1950’s and 1960’s focused on the humanities areas such as history, philosophy, language, literature, and fine arts. Also at the time, Chinese culture and tradition encountered immense challenges from Marxism and the Cultural Revolution on the Mainland as well as liberal criticism in Taiwan and the West. CUHKwas one of the few institutions where traditional scholarship on Chinese humanities continued to flourish. The ensuing Cold War and the dominance of social-science-driven China studies in the American academia in the 1970’s enriched the academic landscape of CUHK with the emergence of social science in the study of China alongside the humanities. The subsequent rise of postmodernism and Cultural Theories in the last decade resulted in an ever-expanding range of perspectives in Chinese Studies at CUHK. And accompanying this development is rapid globalization. New Chinese Studies at CUHK in the 21st Century ‘Today China is a world power and Chinese Studies is not purely a matter of scholarly curiosity. The relationship between tradition and modernity can be perceived as mutually enriching and interactive. For instance traditional Chinese medicine and traditional Chinese education are highly relevant to health care and education, two of the most pressing issues in China today. To understand them as part of Chinese Studies entails not only studying their practices and philosophies, but also examining how modern perceptions of these traditions took shape, how they have been conditioned by the political and economic frameworks of modern society, how they affect our understanding of health and education, and how we may benefit from them,’ explains Prof. So. ‘New Chinese Studies at CUHK should be characterized by open-mindedness, diversity and interdisciplinarity,’ he continues. ‘Our fundamental concern should be the