LEWI Lectures 2005 – The In’s
and Out’s of East-West
Translation and
Adaptation
(18 March, 15 April, 27 May and
13
June)
The lecture series for this year,
entitled “The In’s and Out’s of East-West
Translation and Adaptation”, runs from March to
November 2005. The lectures aim to provoke
thinking about the stakes of contemporary
translation and adaptation. Locally and
internationally renowned scholars of translation,
literature and cultural studies have delivered
impressive talks on interactions among various
disciplinary tools and methods in East-West
translation and adaptation. Four lectures in the
series were held in the spring and have attracted
hundreds of academics and students from different
disciplines.
The lecture series was opened
on 18 March 2005 by Professor Herbert Tsang,
Academic Vice-President of Hong Kong Baptist
University . Professor Tsang gave the opening
remarks on East-West translation and adaptation
to participating academics and students. The
first talk was delivered by Professor Jan Walls
from Simon Fraser University . He is also the
Director of the David Lam Centre for
International Communication.
Prof. Jan Walls's Lecture
Speaking on “Form and/or
Content: An Argument for Stylistic Diversity in
English Translation of Chinese Poetry”,
Professor Walls focused on seeking a balance
between structural (form) transfer and
translation of meaning (content) in the process
of translating Chinese poetry. Professor Walls
delivered a talk that was not only thought
provoking, but also performative. His bilingual
(English/Putonghua) performance of bamboo
clappertale during the lecture captivated the
entire audience.
The second lecture, entitled
“Of ‘Invincible Spears and Impenetrable
Shields’: The Possibility of Impossible
Translation”, was delivered by Professor Eugene
Eoyang, chair professor of English at Lingnan
University on 15 April 2005 . Professor Eugene
Eoyang explored the possibility of achieving the
supposedly impossible in translation. He led the
audience in examining the topic by recounting
the maodun (contradictions) story by
the ancient Chinese philosopher Han Feizi.
Considering the subject in great depth and
illustrating it with poems, Professor Eoyang
delved into various facets of translation and
adaptation. The lecture attracted a full house
of staff and students.
Prof. Eugene Eoyang's lecture
Professor Rey Chow,a leading
figure in comparative literature and cultural
studies at Brown University , was the speaker of
our third lecture on 27 May 2005 . In an address
entitled “‘Human’ in the Age of Disposable
People”, Professor Chow explored homelessness as
a modern condition and the oblivion of Being.
She used concepts from Martin Heidegger and
Etienne Balibar to discuss the movie Blind
Shaft (Mang Jing, director Li Yang, 2003)
and its relevance to the modern-day human
condition. Professor Chow brought insights from
Heidegger and Balibar into the contemporary
Chinese socio-cultural context.
Prof. Rey Chow (left) delivered
the talk and Prof. Georgette Wang (right)
chaired the lecture
Many interesting
questions were raised by the audience during the
question and answer session and Professor Chow
had a lively exchange with them. There was
standing room only in the lecture room.
Professor David Der-wei Wang, a
leading authority on contemporary Chinese
literature from Harvard University , gave the
fourth talk of our Lecture Series on 13 June
2005 . The topic was “The Three Epiphanies of
Shen Congwen”. Professor Wang presented his
recent research findings on the life and work of
Shen Congwen, one of modern China 's greatest
writers. He recounted three critical moments in
Shen's life, leading to the writer's "death" and
then to his "rebirth".
Prof. Wang's lecture
He also highlighted how Shen
faced his despair, redefined his artistic vision
and eventually reached a compromise with the
tyranny of history. Illustrating his colourful
account with woodcut prints, a photo and a set
of sketches, Professor Wang attracted a full
house of scholars and students to his talk.
Other upcoming lectures in the
fall include: “Translation as Cultural
Mediation: Reflections on Late Qing Translation
and Urban Culture” by Professor Leo Lee Ou-fan,
The Chinese University of Hong Kong;
“Translation and Adaptation of Western Drama in
Hong Kong: A Socio-cultural Study of Hong Kong
Repertory Theatre’s Productions” by Professor
Thomas Luk, The Chinese University of Hong Kong;
and “From ‘Principle’ to ‘Strategy’: On the
Translation of Chinese Materia Medica Literature
into English” by Professor Martha Cheung, Hong
Kong Baptist University.
Members of LEWI and IIBD gathered
for the executive committee meeting on 9 April
2005 . The meeting was attended by ten
representatives from the two consortia. Members
discussed the joint board business, LEWI business
and IIBD business. LEWI Directors briefed the
members on the progress of the 2006 international
conference, “Migrations between East and West:
Normalizing the Periphery” to be held in April
2006 in Xiamen and Hong Kong . Members also made
suggestions on how to publish the 2004 conference
anthology. LEWI Directors also reported the
progress of the Lecture Series 2005 and the
Working Paper Series. LEWI Research Programme
Directors presented reports on recent developments
of their programmes. Finally, the date of the next
executive committee meeting was set for 18 April
2006 .
LEWI Visitorship –
Professor Xing
Yue
Professor Xing Yue from the
Institute of International Studies ,
Tsinghua University was LEWI’s visiting
scholar from March to April 2005 under the
Visitorship Programme. Professor Xing is an
expert in international relations, and she has
also been a visiting scholar at Harvard
University . During her visit to LEWI,
Professor Xing collaborated with
Professor Herbert Yee of the Department
of Government and International Studies
on a study of China ’s role in international
relations in the age of globalization. She also
delivered a seminar on “An Analysis on PRC’s
Policy towards Taiwan ”. Considering the
intricacies of cross-straits relations,
Professor Xing expounded and evaluated PRC’s
policy and its effects. She also shared her
thoughts on solutions to Sino- Taiwanese
conflicts.
Prof. Xing Yue, Tsinghua
University
Recent Visits by Member
Institutions
Visit by
University of
Leeds ( 22 April 2005
) Dr. Bronek Wedzicha
from University of Leeds
visited us on 22 April 2005 . Our programme
officers greeted him and introduced him to LEWI
publications. Dr. Wedzicha also visited the
Chemistry Department and would further explore
possibilities for project research collaboration
and graduate student exchange with the Chemistry
Department.
Visit by
Lunds
University ( 3 May 2005 )
Dr. Kjell Nilsson, Associate
Professor of the Department of Sociology, Lunds
University, paid a visit to LEWI on 3 May
2005 . He met with Professor Chan Kwok-
bun, Director of LEWI and Dr.
Emilie Yeh, Associate Director of LEWI to
discuss planning for the 2006 workshop. This
workshop will focus on the integration of higher
education structures and its impact on education
systems around the world.
Visit by
Ohio University ( 14 June 2005 )
Dr. Thomas A. Shotstak, Dean of
Lifelong Learning, Ohio University,
visited our office on 14 June 2005 . He met with
Dr. Emilie Yeh, Associate Director of LEWI to discuss ways for closer academic
collaborations. Dr. Shotstak will encourage
graduate students and faculty members from Ohio
University to apply for LEWI’s Resident Graduate
Student Programme and Visitorship Programme to
enhance academic exchange between the two
universities.
Recent Activities - Seminars by
Resident Graduate
Scholarhip Recipients
RGS Seminar by He
Mei, Sun Jing and
Wu Ning ( 20 June 2005
) He Mei
, Sun Jing and Wu
Ning, three of our RGS students
conducting research at our University in Spring
2005, jointly delivered a seminar on their thesis
on 20 June 2005 .
He Mei, a Master’s degree
candidate of the School of Journalism
and Communication, Tsinghua University,
is completing her thesis entitled “The Hong
Kong-Mainland Co-Produced Feature Films:
Translocal Chinese Cinema in the Transnational
Context”. Against a background of the
globalization of world trade, “Closer Economic
Partnership Arrangement” （ CEPA ） was introduced
to grant easier access to China markets for Hong
Kong-made products and Hong Kong-based
companies.
He Mei's presenatation on Hong
Kong-Mainland co-produced feature films
In the seminar, He Mei
reported the new opportunities for collaboration
between the film industries of China and Hong
Kong . She analyzed the Chinese film industry
from global and local perspectives and shared
with the audience her opinions on the rise and
decline of Chinese cinema in the age of
globalization.
Sun Jing is a master’s student
from the School of Humanities and Social
Sciences, Tsinghua University . Her
thesis is about Oscar Wilde’s aesthetic theory
on art and nature. Oscar Wilde, a representative
figure of Britain 's aestheticism, suggested
“Nature (life) imitates art more than art
imitates nature (life)”. This idea went against
“art imitates nature”, which had been the
dominant concept for two millenniums in western
aesthetic history.
Sun Jing's presentation on Oscar Wilde's
aesthetic theory
In the seminar, Sun Jing
reported that she attempted to recuperate the
significance of Wilde’s theory and to illuminate
that the purpose of Wilde’s theory is to
transform society rather than to deny the
concept of “art begins from nature”. During
her graduate residency at LEWI, Sun Jing was
admitted to the doctoral program at Leiden
University in the Netherlands . She will study
art history at Leiden University from Fall
2005.
Wu Ning, a Ph.D. candidate from
Jinan University , is
completing her dissertation on the history of
Christianity in China , entitled “Rosewell H.
Graves and His Activities”. Graves was a
missionary of the Foreign Mission Board of the
Southern Baptist Convention. He came to South
China in 1856 and preached Christianity for 57
years. Wu Ning presented her survey on Graves ’s
life, missionary work, education and especially
his contributions to Christian publishing in
South China .
Wu Ning's presentation on the
history of Christianity in China
The presentations of the three
RGS students generated a lively discussion in
the question and answer sessions. They also
benefited from comments and suggestions made by
the audience.
Introducing New
Staff
Hidy Hoi-sze NG,
Executive Officer Hidy joined
LEWI on 1 August 2005 . Her main duties at LEWI
include office and programme administration,
organizing workshops and conferences, and
liaison with overseas and mainland
universities. Hidy read her first degree in
Translation and Chinese at the Hong Kong
Polytechnic University and obtained her master’s
degree in Applied Linguistics from the
University of Durham , U. K.
Right to Left: Hidy, Elizabeth,
Erica, Deanna
Elizabeth Ting-yan
CHEUNG , Programme
Officer Elizabeth joined LEWI on 1
June 2005 . She is the coordinator for the RGS
programme and responsible for the logistics of
the LEWI lecture series. She also takes care of
conference publications and general publicity of
LEWI. Elizabeth holds a BA (2003) in
Comparative Literature and American Studies from
The University of Hong Kong. She will obtain an
MPhil degree in Comparative Literature with the
same institution in the coming fall.
Erica Ka-yan
POON , Programme Officer Erica
assumed office on 6 June 2005 . She is mainly
responsible for Working Paper Series,
e-newsletters and LEWI brochure. She also takes
care of Visitorship Programme and general
publicity of LEWI. Erica holds a BSSc degree
in Communication from Hong Kong Baptist
University and a MA degree in Journalism from
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
.
Deanna Chun-yi
LEUNG , General Clerk Deanna
assumed office on 17 May 2005 . She will assist
Elizabeth and Erica in the daily operation of
the LEWI office.
LEWI
Publications
Working Paper Series
The LEWI Working Paper Series is
an endeavour of LEWI to foster dialogues among
institutions and scholars in the field of
East-West studies. It was launched in April 2002
and serves as a forum for the speedy and informal
exchange of ideas as scholars and academic
institutions attempt to grapple with issues of an
inter-cultural and global nature. Thirty-nine
papers have been published so far and we welcome
papers in any academic field related to East-West
studies and from authors within and outside of our
LEWI consortium. For further information, please
contact Miss Erica Poon at erica@hkbu.edu.hk
or visit http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~lewi/publications.html
for details about ordering and submitting
manuscript.
Recent Publications in the Series
(abstracts are available on our website):
35. Jonathan E. ADLER
(City University of New York),
Cross-Cultural Education, Open-mindedless,
and Time ,
English/17 pages, March 2005.
36. Georgette WANG and
Emilie YEH (Hong Kong Baptist
University),Globalization and
Hybridization in Cultural Production: A Tale of
Two Films, English/15 pages, April
2005.
37. Timothy Man-kong WONG
(Hong Kong Baptist University)
, Printing, Evangelism, and
Sinology: A Historical Appraisal of the
Sinological Publications by Protestant
Missionaries, English/28 pages, May
2005.
38. Hanneke TEEKENS
(NUFFIC), East-West: at Home the
Best? , English/19 pages, June
2005.
39. Yinbing LEUNG (Hong Kong
Baptist University), The "Action Plan
to Raise Language Standards": A Response to the
Economic Restructuring in Post-colonial Hong
Kong, English/28 pages, July 2005.
Author's Corner
Taiwan Film
Directors: A Treasure Island
Emilie Yueh-yu
Yeh (Associate Professor, Hong Kong
Baptist University) and Darrell William
Davis (Senior Lecturer, University of
New South Wales)
Columbia University Press,
2005 Cloth 384 pages ISBN: 0-231-12898-3
Paper 384 pages ISBN: 0-231-12899-1
This is a well-illustrated,
in-depth study of the most celebrated film
directors from Taiwan and the development of
Taiwanese film. Focusing on the extraordinarily
rich work of four contemporary filmmakers—Ang
Lee, Edward Yang, Hou Hsiao-hsien, and Tsai
Ming-liang—the authors explore how these
filmmakers broke from tradition, creating a
cinema that is both personal and insistent on
examining Taiwan 's complex
history. Following the relaxation of
government control of the film industry in the
1980s, Taiwan 's directors sprung from relative
obscurity to international acclaim. The authors
trace this development, analyzing Taiwanese film
from the end of World War II to the present.
Featuring stills, anecdotes, and close readings
of films, the authors consider the influence of
Hong Kong and martial arts films, directors'
experiments with autobiography, the shifting
fortunes of the Taiwanese film industry, and
Taiwan cinema in the context of international
cinema's aesthetics and business practices.
Professor Chan Kwok
Bun, Head of Department of Sociology and
Director of David C. Lam Institute for East-West
Studies, Hong Kong Baptist
University
“The Stranger’s Plight, and
Delight.” Revista de Occidente 286
(2005): 45-61
Guest editor, Chinese
Entertainment,Visual Anthropology
18.2-3 (2005)
“Entertainment: Enjoyment or
Struggle?” Visual Anthropology 18.2-3
(2005): 97-102.
(With Yung Sai Shing), “Chinese
Entertainment, Ethnicity and Pleasure.”
Visual Anthropology 18.2-3
(2005):103-142.
