2006 LEWI and IIBD International Workshop:
Higher Education East and West: Cooperation and Competition
(5 October)
LEWI and IIBD will co-organize an international workshop before the biennial joint board meeting to provide an opportunity for representatives from member institutions to discuss possible institutional cooperation. The focus of this year’s workshop is on how globalization and internationalization affect universities in the East and the West and what strategies the university has developed to manage these global challenges.
The workshop consists of a keynote address, two plenary sessions, a student sharing session, and a group discussion session. Drs. Jane Knight, Adjunct Professor, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, is the keynote speaker. In her presentation entitled “Internationalization in the 21st Century: Evolution or Revolution?”, she will discuss whether the transformation brought about by globalization on internationalization is part of an evolutionary or revolutionary process, and what the major benefits and risks are. Drawing on findings from a survey on internationalization carried out by the International Association of Universities in 2005, Drs. Knight will also discuss issues such as competitiveness, commercialization, networks, quality assurance, foreign language learning, geographical priorities, future growth areas, driving rationales and the actual benefits/risks associated with the internationalization of higher education.
If you wish to attend the workshop but have yet to register, please complete and return the Registration Form to the Workshop Secretary. For enquiries, please contact Miss Hidy Ng at 3411-2870, or write to lewi@hkbu.edu.hk
Fourth Joint Board Meeting of LEWI and IIBD (6 October)
Biennial meetings of the LEWI and IIBD Board of Governors have been held jointly since 2000, and the fourth Joint Board Meeting will be held on 6 October 2006 at Hong Kong Baptist University. Representatives from our member institutions are invited to attend the meeting to discuss recent developments and future directions of the two consortia.
Recent Activities
East-West Talks
The Europe-China Programme joins hands with Department of Sociology and History in organizing the 2006 East-West Talks.
Yves Camus and Eric Sautede from the Macau Ricci Institute, “Chinese Studies in East-West Encounters: A Love Story for the Jesuits and Others” (28 April)
The Macau Ricci Institute is a research institution aims at fostering better mutual understanding between China and the world community through its forums, symposiums and publications. Yves Camus is the Associate Director of the Macau Ricci Institute. He completed post-graduate studies on Chinese Buddhism and has supervised the updated compilation of a Chinese-French dictionary. Eric Sautede was trained in Paris in history and political science and has been living in Asia for the past twelve years. He is presently a research fellow at the Macau Ricci Institute and chief editor of the Institute’s bilingual Chinese-English quarterly Chinese Cross Currents.
The speakers presented the general history of Chinese Studies as started in the sixteenth century and long embodied by the Jesuit fathers living in China, usually for many years and, in many instances, for all their lives. Scholarly works produced by these Jesuit priests or lay brothers over the past 450 years of close contacts with China are still widely read and used nowadays. Through the emblematic and well-known “rites controversy” that took place at the beginning of the seventeenth century, the speakers showed how “old” stories were still relevant for a cross-cultural approach in China, still faced with the challenge to deal with the imperatives of “accommodation” and “inculturation” without abandoning one’s own founding principles and values.
Dr. Cindy Yik-yi Chu, Associate Professor of History at Hong Kong Baptist University, “Foreign Communities in Hong Kong 1840s-1950s” (4 May)
The talk was based on Dr. Chu’s recently published edited volume of the same title. In the seminar, Dr. Chu presented the studies on ethnic minority groups in Hong Kong from the 1849s through 1950s. She attempted to portray Hong Kong’s history through the perspectives of foreign communities, and to understand how they perceived the economic situation, political administration and culture of the colony.
Mr. Eric Sautede (left) and Mr. Yves Camus (right) from the Macau Ricci Institute gave a lecture in the East-West Talks
Professor Chan Kwok-bun (left) chaired the talk by Dr. Cindy Chu (right)
Seminar co-organized with Centre for Media and Communication Research
Dr. Jorg Becker, Professor for Political Sciences at the Universities of Marburg (Germany) and Innsbruck (Austria), and visiting scholar at School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University, “Critical Communication Theory and the Borders of Internet” (19 April)
LEWI and Centre for Media and Communication Research co-organized a seminar, “Critical Communication Theory and the Borders of Internet”, on 19 April.
In the seminar, Dr. Becker Dr. Becker discussed issues on the borders of the internet. Most people argue that the internet is a space and time compression machine which will overcome borders and strengthens peace and understanding between people, cultures and nations. This might be a one and short-sided perspective as the process of pulling down borders can, at the same time, result in the decrease of security and identity.
Dr. Jorg Becker, visiting scholar at School of Communication, HKBU
Co-organized Symposium (9 and 10 September)
LEWI joined hands with four departments of HKBU: Humanities, History, Sociology and Cinema and Television, in organizing an international symposium on “Contemporary Asian Modernities: Transnationality, Interculturality and Hybridity”. The symposium, held on 9-10 September, was a featured event celebrating HKBU’s 50th Anniversary.
Keynote speakers included renowned scholars Professor Arif Dirlik, Knight Professor of Social Science and Professor of History and Anthropology at the University of Oregon; Professor Arjun Appadurai, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at The New School in New York City; Professor Mark Elvin, British environmental historian and an expert in the history of pre-modern Chinese science; and Professor Chan Kwok-bun, Chair Professor and Head of Department of Sociology and Director of LEWI. In addition, four panel speakers from Singapore, Shanghai and Taiwan spoke at the symposium.
Keynote speaker Professor Arif Dirlik spoke on “Asian Modernities in the Perspective of Global Modernity”
Resident Graduate Scholarship Programme
Seminars by RGS students (19 April, 26 April and 15 May)
Su Junxia, Tsinghua University, China Field supervisor at HKBU: Dr. Cheng Yuk Shing, Department of Economics
Su Junxia is a master’s student from Tsinghua University. The title of her thesis is “Hong Kong’s Social Security System and its Implications for Mainland China”. In mainland China, different social security systems can be found in the urban and rural area. The social security system in the rural area is far from perfect, and the dual-structure system, as a whole, is out-dated.
In her seminar, Su Junxia compared the characteristics, current conditions, strength and weakness of the social security system in Hong Kong and in the mainland. Su Junxia hoped that her study would provide implications for the reform of China’s social security system.
The seminar of Su Junxia (right) was chaired by her field supervisor, Dr. Cheng Yuk Shing (left), Department of Economics
Ngo Sheau Shi, La Trobe University, Australia Field supervisor at HKBU: Dr. Cheuk Pak Tong, Department of Cinema and Television
Ngo Sheau Shi, Ph.D. candidate from La Trobe Univerisity, is completing her dissertation on “Sexual Representaions in Hong Kong Wuxia Genre: Visual Transformation, Imaginary and Feminism”. Ngo’s research intends to explore the new wuxia genre refashioned by the Shaw Brothers studios from the mid-1960s to the early1970s, with a focus on the representation of women, that of nüxia and its sexual implication.
In her seminar, Ngo Sheau Shi looked at the conception of xia and wuxia based on popular Chinese fiction. She traced the figuration of nüxia and its origin from the Tang Chuanqi (a type of fiction in Tang Dynasty) and its relations with the cinematic archetypes in Hong Kong cinema.
Ngo Sheau Shi, La Trobe University, presented her seminar on Hong Kong wuxia genre
Zhao Gang, Wuhan University, China Field supervisor at HKBU: Professor Ting Wai, Department of Government and International Studies
Zhao Gang, Ph.D. candidate from Wuhan University, delivered a seminar entitled “‘Soft Power’ in the Age of Globalization and China’s Policies”. Today’s world is increasingly developing into a multi-polar one with rapid economic globalization, scientific and technological innovation, and intensifying international competition. The “soft power” of a country rests primarily on three resources: culture, ideology or political values, and a country’s ability to shape international rules and political agendas. “Soft power” is a very important theoretical approach to analyzing the power position of a country in the world, and competition over soft power plays a crucial role in the evolution of international relations.
In his presentation, Zhao Gang introduced the concept, characteristics and evolution of “soft power”. He also explored the “soft power” theory in international relations and its importance in the peaceful rise of China.
Zhao Gang (right), Wuhan University, delivered his seminar on China’s foreign policies
His field supervisor, Professor Ting Wai (left), Department of Government and International Studies, chaired the seminar
Leung Chi Mei, Hong Kong Baptist University
Field supervisor at Peking University: Professor Li Kun, Department of Communication, School of Journalism and Communication, Peking University
Leung Chi Meiis a Ph.D. candidate from Hong Kong Baptist University. She is awarded the LEWI Resident Graduate Scholarships in the Fall Semester, 2005, to study at Peking University.
In her seminar, “The 5 ‘P’s Influences on News Content: Looking beyond the Disability News Press Coverage in Beijing and Hong Kong in 1981-2005”, held on 26 April, Leung explored the power relationships between various political and social forces outside of the news organizations that influence news content on disability in Beijing and Hong Kong. Leung investigated how and in what ways disability was represented in the newspapers in Beijing (Beijing Wan Bao) and Hong Kong (Oriental Daily) between the periods of 1981 to 2005.
Leung Chi Mei’s (right) seminar was chaired by Professor Huang Yu (left), Department of Journalism
Chen Fanfan, Zhongshan (Sun Yat-sen) University, China Field supervisor at HKBU: Dr. Yang Suying, Department of English Language and Literature
Chen Fanfan, Ph.D. candidate from Zhongshan University, is completing her thesis on “A Study on Hong Kong Children’s Acquisition of Double Object Construction in both Putonghua and English as Second Language”.
In the seminar, Chen Fanfan reported how Hong Kong children perform double object construction in Putonghua and English. She discussed how the language structure transfers from the first language to the second language, and how the two second languages influence each other. She also explained factors that would affect such transfer, such as linguistic complexness and linguistic distance.
Chen Fanfan (right), Zhongshan (Sun Yat-sen) University
Field supervisor at HKBU: Dr. Yang Suying (left), Department of English Language and Literature
Xiong Xiyuan, Zhongshan (Sun Yat-sen) University, China Field supervisor at HKBU: Professor Tan Zaixi, Department of English Language and Literature
Xiong Xiyuan is a Ph.D. candidate from Zhongshan University. The title of his presentation is “Translation criticism as an Intertextual Process”. Translation criticism is an essential part of translation studies. Currently, translation criticism can be divided into three types: literary, linguistic and cultural. These three types of translation criticism, however, are being criticized as too subjective and not scientific enough.
In his presentation, Xiong Xiyuan discussed the importance of introducing theories of intertextuality into translation criticism. He argued that translation criticism is an intertextual process, and hence, the concept of intertextuality should be used to account for the various translation practices, and to provide a comparatively objective and scientific method to conduct translation criticism.
Xiong Xiyuan (right), Zhongshan (Sun Yat-sen) University
Field supervisor at HKBU: Professor Tan Zaixi (left), Department of English Language and Literature
Fang Fei, Fudan University, China Field supervisor at HKBU: Professor Ting Wai, Department of Government and International Studies
Fang Fei is a MPhil candidate from Fudan University. The title of her presentation is “Dynamic Relations between Group Identities and Establishment and Development of the Republic of Iraq”.
In her presentation, Fang Fei discussed the group identities of Iraq, which are extremely complicated due to its historical and cultural background. During the 1958 revolution, there were three main types of group identities in Iraq, namely Family-Tribe Identity, Sect Identity and Ethnic Identity. The national identity of Iraq during its transition from a mandated state to a self-governed modern nation-state was, to a different degree, affected by these three types of group identities. Fang Fei focused her presentation on the period of 1958 to 1968, when Iraq was in its struggle of building a modern republican state, and examined the relations between group identities and the development of the Republic of Iraq.
Professor Ting Wai (left), Department of Government and International Studies, chaired the seminar by Fang Fei (right), Fudan University
New Students in Fall 2006
In Fall 2006, we welcome four new students to LEWI to participate in the Resident Graduate Scholarship (RGS) Programme:
Hee Wai Siam, Ph.D Candidate, Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Peking University. Thesis topic: “The Postmodern Turn: Refigurations of the Body Politics in Dong Qizhang’s Writing”. Field supervisor at HKBU: Professor Stephen Chu Yiu Wai, Department of Chinese & Program of Humanities.
Left to Right: Zeng Fanxu, Shi Jing, Hee Wai Siam, Zhang Yong
Hee Wai Siam: I am a Ph.D candidate in Modern and Contemporary Chinese Literature from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Peking University. My research interests encompass Cultural Studies, Gender Studies and Overseas Chinese Literature. I am awarded the Chinese Government Scholarship and Tan Kah Kee Postgraduate Scholarship by the Tan Kah Kee Foundation of Singapore, to undertake studies and research in Peking University. I was born in Malaysia. As a writer and poet in Malaysia and Singapore, I write under the pseudonym of Weng Xian Wei. My publications include a collection of short stories Wandering and Despondent [Global Publishing, 2004, Singapore] and Poetry anthology Unidentified Species [Global Publishing, 2004, Singapore]. I was a winner of the Malaysian Chinese (“Hua Zong”) Literature Awards in years 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2005, awarded by the Malaysia SinChew Daily. I was awarded the Malaysian-Chinese Best Writer Awards, 2000 by the Malaysia Association of Writers. I was also a winner of The Golden Point Award, Singapore National Arts Council, 1999.
Shi Jing, Ph.D. Candidate, Chinese Language and Literature Department, Peking University. Thesis topic: “The Literature Integration of Chinese Contemporary Literature of 1980’s in the East-West Communication”. Field supervisor at HKBU: Professor Huang Ziping, Department of Chinese.
Shi Jing: I am Shi Jing from Peking University, Beijing. I obtained my bachelor's degree in Chinese Language and Literature at He Nan University in 2002 and obtained my M.A. in Modern and Contemporary Literature from the same university in 2005. In 2005, I went to Peking University for a four-year doctoral program in Contemporary Literature.
Thanks LEWI for giving me this chance to study in Hong Kong. I am very grateful to Professor Huang Ziping for being my supervisor. During my residence at LEWI, I will examine the Literature Integration of Chinese Contemporary Literature of 1980’s in the context of East-West Communication. Hong Kong Baptist University library has many materials about this which can help me finish my research successfully.
Zeng Fanxu, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Communication Studies, School of Journalism and Communication, Communication University of China. Thesis topic: “Reconstruction of Media Space and the Emerging Civil Society in Mainland China: The Case of Guangzhou”. Field supervisor at HKBU: Professor Huang Yu, Department of Journalism.
Zeng Fanxu: I am Zeng Fanxu, a third-year Ph.D. student at the Communication University of China. First of all, I would like to thank LEWI for giving me the opportunity to participate in the RGS programme, which enables me to conduct research as well as attend many classes at HKBU. In the past few years, I have been attending classes at different universities in China including Shantou University, Zhongshan University and Peking University.
Apart from studying, I also worked as a journalist for two years in Nanfang news group, writing feature articles including “Public Intellectuals 50”. Besides, I taught a journalism course in Zhongshan University. I always tell myself: journalist and teacher are the two most interesting jobs in the world, and I am lucky enough to experience them all.
In my daily life, I spend quite a lot of time doing sports, like playing basket ball, tennis and table tennis. Swimming is also my favorite sports. “Working hard and playing hard” might be the right description of my attitude for life.
Lastly, I would like to talk a little bit about my Ph.D. dissertation. My dissertation focuses on the relationship between Chinese NGOs and the media. I am interested in knowing how NGOs in China successfully uses the strictly-controlled media to raise public issues that might be challenging to the institutions. I would be very pleased if you have something to share with me on this topic.
Zhang Yong, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Chinese Literature, Tsinghua University. Thesis topic: “Modern-ism: Literature and Culture in Shanghai 1927-1937”. Field supervisor at HKBU: Professor Terry Yip, Department of English Language and Literature.
Zhang Yong: I am a PhD candidate from the Department of Chinese Literature, Tsinghua University. I am interested in modern Chinese literature in the period 1917-1949 because writers in this period (Lu Xun, Mao Dun and Ba Jin, to name a few) devoted their works as well as their lives to the independence and development of China. Their works may not be called masterpieces, but they tell us what modern writers dreamt and pursued.
Now I am preparing my thesis, which focuses on metropolitan literature in Shanghai in the 1930s. Many eminent scholars have contributed to this topic hence a lot of research materials are available. However, it also means that breakthrough is difficult. I consider it a challenge.
I will graduate in one or two years. After graduation, I will teach at Xi’an Jiaotong University, where I worked as a lecturer for several years. Xi’an is a modern city with a long history, totally different from Hong Kong. During my three-month’s stay in Hong Kong, I hope to enrich my experience of life and research. I hope to make as many friends as possible.
New RGS Brochure
LEWI is pleased to announce that a newly designed RGS brochure has been published. This new brochure is designed with the aim of providing more comprehensive information to graduate students of our member institutions who are interested in conducing research in Hong Kong or overseas.
The brochure is divided into three sessions. The first session provides information to overseas students who wish to study at HKBU, for instance, the study environment at HKBU, and details on areas of study and research offered by the University. The second session provides information about studying abroad for students of HKBU. Member universities of LEWI are listed for students’ reference. The last session is a student sharing session where some of our past RGS students share their experiences of studying abroad and how they feel about the programme.
New RGS brochure
Visit to Graduate School
In late June, programme officers of LEWI, Elizabeth Cheung and Erica Poon, visited different departments at HKBU to promote the RGS Programme. They distributed the new RGS brochure to the graduate students, introduced the programme to them and answered their questions. Students from the faculty of social sciences showed great interest in the programme.
Recent Visits to and by Member Institutions
Visit by Tsinghua University (10 May)
Professor Liu Beicheng, Department of History, Tsinghua University, visited LEWI during his trip to Hong Kong in May. He met with Dr. Emilie Yeh, Associate Director and Hidy Ng, Executive Officer, LEWI. Professor Lin was introduced to various programmes of the institute such as the Visitorship Programme and the Resident Graduate Scholarhip (RGS) Programme.
Visit to East China Normal University, Fudan University and Shanghai University (June)
Dr. Yeh, Associate Director of LEWI, recently visited East China Normal University, Fudan University and Shanghai University, our associate member institutions in Shanghai. The purpose of her visit was to introduce LEWI and our programmes to faculty and students of the three universities.
At East China Normal University, Dr. Yeh visited the Chinese and Cultural Studies Department and Research and Archive Centre for Modern Chinese Literature. Dr Yeh gave a talk on China and pan-Asian cinema to graduate students of cultural studies and she also introduced LEWI's Resident Graduate Scholarship (RGS) Programme and Visitorship Programme to faculty members and graduate students. At Fudan University, Dr. Yeh was received by the Deputy Head of Chinese department and at Shanghai University, she visited School of Media and Communication and met with the Dean of the School. Faculty members of these three universities were interested in research collaborations, student and faculty exchange with HKBU.
Dr. Yeh (right), Associate Director of LEWI, introduced our programmes to faculty members and students of East China Normal University
Dr. Yeh (middle) visited Fudan University
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. Fifty-two 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#4 for details about ordering and submitting a manuscript.
Recent Publications in the Series (abstracts are available on our website):
46. He Ping (Sichuan University) and Chan Kwok-bun (Hong Kong Baptist University)Hybridity: Concepts and Realites in China and the World, Chinese/25 pages, December 2005.
47. Emilie Yueh-yu YEH (Hong Kong Baptist University)Innovation or Recycling? Mandarin Classics and the Return of the Wenyi Tradition, English/22 pages, January 2006.
48. CHAN Kwok-bun(Hong Kong Baptist University) and Leo DOUW (University of Amsterdam)Differences, Conflicts and Innovations: An Emergent Transnational Management Culture in China, English/25 pages, February 2006.
49. Eugene EOYANG(Lingnan University)Of “Invincible Spears and Impenetrable Shield”: The Possibility of Impossible Translations, English/10 pages, March 2006.
50. Thomas Y. T. LUK (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)Adaptations and Translations of Western Drama: A Socio-cultural Study of Hong Kong Repertory Company’s Past Practices, English/14 pages, April 2006.
51. CHEN Ling (Hong Kong Baptist University)Traditional Chinese Value Orientations as Indigenous Constructs: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis, English/21 pages, May 2006.
52. Paul HOCKINGS (United International College, Beijing Normal University/Hong Kong Baptist University) Gaoqiao, a Second Look at a Well-Studied Yunnan Village, English/13pages, June 2006.
53. Janet SALAFF (University of Toronto), and Arent GREVE (Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration), Chinese Immigrant Women: From Professional to Family Careers, English/38 pages, July 2006.
Workshop Proceedings
Internationalizing the Curriculum and Learning Environment: An East-West Focus
Proceedings of the 2004 International Workshop on “Internationalizing the Curriculum and Learning Environment: With a Special Focus on East-West Studies”
Edited by Chan Kwok-bun and Vivienne Luk
Publisher: David C. Lam Institute for East-West Studies and Wing Lung Bank International Institute for Business Development, Hong Kong Baptist University, 2006.
We are pleased to announce the publication of the proceedings of the 2004 International Workshop on “Internationalizing the Curriculum and Learning Environment”. Entitled Internationalizing the Curriculum and Learning Environment: An East-West Focus, this volume consists of the keynote address fromJonathan Eric Adler, Professor of Philosophy, Brooklyn College, The City University of New York, and Hanneke Teekens, Director, International Academic Relations, Nuffic, The Netherlands. Reports from the plenary sessions and thematic group discussions are also included. The proceedings focus on how to strike a balance between internationalising the curriculum and retaining local distinctiveness in teaching and learning in the age of globalisation. It also provides insight on enhancing cultural diversity and cultivating open-mindedness to response to these new demands.
Excerpts of the Introduction
Globalization is influencing national education systems and making new demands on our teaching and learning attitudes. East-West, or cross-cultural, studies is central to the curriculum in the new global context. As articulated in the keynote speech by Jonathan Eric Adler, teaching for open-mindedness should not be perceived as an additional burden on the curriculum; rather one should take a proactive attitude, a strategy to broaden our knowledge and our understanding of cultures. Comparative thinking, which focuses on confrontation with inconsistencies and differences, is an important approach to the study of cultures. Presence of students of different cultural backgrounds has become part of our present-day teaching environment. Diversity of ideas provides challenges to our beliefs while conflicts with our expectations prompt us to pay attention to assumptions about our own culture which is usually taken for granted. East-West studies should therefore identify open-mindedness as a productive outcome of observing cultural contrasts.
Author's Corner
Conflict and Innovation: Joint Ventures in China (Brill, 2006)
Edited by Leo Douw (Lecturer of Modern Chinese History and Society, University of Amsterdam) and Chan Kwok-bun (Head and Chair Professor of Department of Sociology, and Director of LEWI, Hong Kong Baptist University)
This book features China’s newly emergent transnational management culture. It uses established and new methodologies to analyze how different types of Sino-foreign joint enterprises manage cultural differences between various layers of managers and employees, while negotiating strategies that contain conflicts, uncertainties and frustrations.
Much of the book focuses on the relations among personnel and management with Sino-foreign business. It highlights how new elements have been introduced in the daily practices of management at the work floor and in the managerial offices, specially in relation to improving human resource development and resolving conflicts. This book also examines how these transnational firms function in the broader context of Chinese society and politics. In providing freshly researched cases and methodological studies by experienced researchers in the field, the book suggests alternative pathways toward innovative business management in China
