Bulletin No. 2, 2009

16   Chinese University Bulletin No. 2, 2009 In addition to over 10 departments and units under the Faculty of Arts, there are many institutes dedicated to humanities research. Among them is the Centre for East Asian Studies. The centre offers interdisciplinary undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Chinese studies, conducts research in a number of areas, including health and medical culture, language and society, law and society, Ming and Qing studies, local governance, regional history and heritage, and digital Chinese studies. The centre also organizes a variety of conferences and workshops. Prof. Billy K.L. So, director of the centre, also chairs the Steering Committee for Chinese Studies. The field is one of the five areas to which substantial resources are being devoted. Professor So says, ‘As China takes centre stage in the world’s economic, cultural and political arenas, Chinese Studies is growing in importance. In addition to traditional subjects like history, languages and culture, medicine, law and environment also fall into its category.’ Another important CUHK institute devoted to the humanities is the Institute of Chinese Studies, founded by Dr. Li Choh-ming, founding Vice-Chancellor of the University. The decades-old institute focuses on archaeology, studies of Chinese language and ancient text, translation, art and contemporary Chinese culture, etc. The institute and its various units have launched different research projects, including a long-term project on constructing a comprehensive database of Chinese ancient texts. They also publish