March 31, 2011

Beautiful scenes of Hong Kong are on display at the new exhibition “Small Views of a Big City: sketches and watercolour paintings by Au Yeung Nai Chim”. During the opening ceremony the renowned artist reminisced about the time he made the sketches for the newspaper over a decade ago. Since then, he said, many of the views that he caught on paper have changed or disappeared altogether. Hence his work is of great value to the history of Hong Kong.

Born in Guangdong in 1931, Au Yeung Nai Chim came to Hong Kong at the age of seven. He started learning western painting techniques from a very young age, and he has done watercolours, oil paintings and Chinese paintings. In recent years his focus is on watercolours. Some of his works are in private collections but many are also on display in the art museums of Beijing and Hong Kong. Several catalogues of his paintings have also been published.

The exhibition runs until 15 May 2011, open daily from 10 am to 7 pm. For more details, please visit the CCIV website or phone 3442 2477.

Written by: Audrey

March 23, 2011

Pulse received a request from Bruce Humes to notify our readers about China Publishing Industry Newsletter. This free newsletter edited by Bruce Humes, with the assistance of Alice Wang, covers the latest news about events and trends in China’s publishing industry and literary world. The first few issues are available at the website of Paper Republic. For the new March issue you must be registered to get a copy in your inbox.

As explained in the announcement by Eric Abrahamsen on the website, the newsletter is “mostly aimed at those expecting to do some sort of business related to Chinese publishing, but much of it will also be of general interest.” In fact, if you are interested in Chinese Literature and Translation, the website of Paper Republic is a good source of information on writers, new titles, translators and publishers.

Pulse is grateful to Bruce Humes for his suggestion and welcomes any other comments and ideas!

Written by: Audrey

March 8, 2011

Today is the 100th anniversary of “International Women’s Day”, a day that will be celebrated all over the world, also in Hong Kong. Organisations such as the Hong Kong Association of Business and Professional Women, Edible Arrangements HK and Women in Charge have organized special events.

Just recently I read the article “Women Still Face Barriers in Hong Kong” (see link) which questions why Hong Kong women are not getting ahead. Leading positions in companies and the government are still male-dominated. Women earn less than men. This happens not only here but Hong Kong is lagging behind other developed countries.

Why? The article points out that Hong Kong is still a traditional, conservative society where hiring women is considered a risk. Women have to prove that they are reliable. They have to fight for their rights. As an example the article refers to the case of Ms. Kwong, the local teacher who was forced to wear a skirt in class. Fortunately after three years in court, she did win the case.

An expert in the article reckons that curriculum overhauls and teacher training are needed “to erase gender stereotyping in the education system as key to changing the mind-sets of both men and women.”

Written by: Audrey

March 3, 2011

Two days ago the new exhibition Centenary of China’s 1911 Revolution at the Hong Kong Museum of History opened. Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang officiated at the opening and was allegedly attacked by a protester. Although the violence is unacceptable the discussion in the news probably helped promote the exhibition.

The exhibition which marks the centenary of the 1911 Revolution showcases exhibits, historical images, videos and maps to illustrate the event. As the announcement indicates the exhibition not only reflects important changes in China’s modern history but also highlights the contribution of Hong Kong to the revolution.

The exhibition is jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and Hubei Provincial Museum. It runs from 2 March to 16 May 2011. For details on venue and opening hours, please visit the website of Hong Kong Museum of History.

Written by: Audrey