Bulletin No. 2, 2009

60th Anniversary of Department of Philosophy   33  The occasion was as much a gathering of philosophers and a New Asia alumni reunion as a statue unveiling ceremony. Among the many guests attending the ceremony were (below, from left) Mr. Chu Tat-shing, the sculptor; Prof. Donald Munro, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Chinese, University of Michigan; Mr. Wang Kang, representative of the Tang family; Prof. Lawrence J. Lau, CUHK Vice-Chancellor; Prof. Lao Sze-kwang, Professor Emeritus of the Department of Philosophy, CUHK; Prof. Fok Tou- hui, head of The Dharmasthiti College of Cultural Studies; Prof. Wong Nai- ching Henry, Head of New Asia College, and CUHK Pro-Vice-Chancellor; Prof. Cheung Chan-fai, chairman of the Philosophy Department; and Prof. Lau Kwok-keung, chairman of the CUHK Philosophy Alumni Association. Although Prof. Yu Ying-shih could not attend the ceremony in person, he spoke of the life of Professor Tang on video. ‘The studies of philosophy, especially Chinese philosophy, in Hong Kong began from Prof. Tang Chun-I.’ The sculptor Mr. Chu Tat-shing said he wanted the statue to express Professor Tang’s concern for the country and its people. The statue looks afar with hope, in the same direction as the statue of Confucius, with which it shares a lawn on New Asia campus. Looking at the visage of the statue takes one on a nostalgic trip back to the days when China and its culture were going through a period of turbulence. Prof. Yu Ying-shih wrote in the epigraph that Professor Tang ‘looked for inspiration for cultural innovation in the roots of our tradition and promoted the teachings of Confucius to the world, thus bringing about Neo-Confucianism overseas’. The statues of Professor Tang, hailed as ‘master of Neo-Confucianism’, and Confucius symbolize the preservation and development of Confucianism at the University and in Hong Kong. With its humanistic tradition, the 60-year-old Department of Philosophy will continue to fulfil its role as a centre for research in Chinese philosophy.