February 27, 2012

Last Friday 24 February 2012 the presentation of the Outstanding Student Awards for Semester A 2011/12 was held at the Chinese Civilisation Centre. At the end of every semester teachers nominate students who excel in their studies of Chinese civilisation, based on the results of classroom participation, online discussion and final papers.

In his speech Professor Cheng Pei-kai, Director of the Chinese Civilisation Centre, congratulated the winners of the award and praised them for their accomplishment because the standard for nomination is set very high and only a small percentage of students has the chance to get the award.  Professor Cheng also emphasized that, whether students like it or not, the study of Chinese civilisation is very important for their development.

Usually all the recipients are Chinese students of Chinese courses, but now for the first time in the history of the award, a student from the English session was among the winners. Miss Shirin Leung [see photo], a law student, was praised for her active participation in class and the high academic quality of her final paper.

For more details, please see the CCIV website.

Written by: Audrey

February 21, 2012

Wandering around a cemetery does not sound as the ideal way to spend a Saturday afternoon. But a Dutch friend of mine who was visiting Hong Kong for a few days did just that for research purposes. He wanted to take some pictures of the grave of Karl Gützlaff (1803–1851) because he had to find out why there was controversy about the contents of the epitaph.

Since he had not yet found out which cemetery to go to, he asked for my help. I did once read about the unfortunate mishaps in the life of this German missionary, some of which I shared with you on Pulse back in September 2010, but I had no idea that he had died in Hong Kong, let alone being buried here.

Now the thought of digging into sources about cemeteries was not very appealing but I could not let my friend down so I searched the internet for information. To my relief it soon led me to the ‘Find a Grave’ site which by just entering a last name generated information on the location of the grave with some snapshots. So I told my friend about it and he immediately set off for the Hong Kong Cemetery in Happy Valley.

Afterwards he told me that the confusion over the epitaph must have been caused by the different languages inscribed on the grave which are not completely identical. Apparently the scholars who were implicated in the debate had not read all versions. So in the end, it was an afternoon well spent for my friend.

Written by: Audrey

February 16, 2012

For research purposes I often consult late 19th-century literature including T’oung Pao: International Journal of Chinese Studies. Although many readers will be familiar with the journal, I give here the description on the website: ‘Founded in 1890, T’oung Pao has long been the leading scholarly journal on all aspects of traditional China. In the course of its existence, it has featured a wide range of formative contributions to Sinology by almost all major scholars in this field of ever-increasing importance. Peer-reviewed, under the guidance of its main editors, T’oung Pao regularly presents the best new scholarship on China and also includes an extensive book review section.’

The journal was founded back then by the eminent scholars Henri Cordier (1849–1925) and Gustav Schlegel (1840–1903) who gave the journal a European flavour and French-Dutch editorship was upheld for many decades. In recent times, however, the editorship has gone beyond European borders, for it is currently edited by Pierre-Etienne Will (Collège de France, Paris), Martin Kern (Princeton University) and Paul W. Kroll (University of Colorado at Boulder). Still, according to the ‘Instructions for Authors’: ‘Submissions may be in English or French; submissions in other major European languages will also be considered.’

Written by: Audrey

February 10, 2012

Over Christmas we travelled to Fujian for a few days. After spending the first two days near the coast, in the busy city of Xiamen and on the beautiful island of Gulangyu, we decided to hire a car and go inland to see the famous Tulou, or ‘earthen buildings’ in Yongding. The ride in itself was worth the while for there was a wonderful change in landscape. From the buzzing noise of the city and the great rocks on the island, into the rural scenery of green and quiet mountains with lots of banana cultivation.

Tulou in Fujian are traditional communal residences where Hakka clans live(d). Forty-six of the Fujian Tulou clusters were listed as World Heritage by UNESCO in 2008. But along the road to the tulou that are open to the public, you will discover that there are many more scattered in the mountains. Usually you see them photographed from the air: black roofs amid green fields and mountains.

Once we got there, the driver convinced us that it was absolutely necessary to hire a guide. And as with all guides, Mr Su was talking non-stop about everything he knew about the tulou, including toilets, kitchens, clan life and many historical and architectural details.

Tulou come in circular and square types but all are a few stories high and have a main gate and thick yellow outer walls. Mr Su explained that each family within the clan had a vertical set of rooms from the ground floor up to top floor. It seems an amazing way to keep all the family members together and offer them shelter to the outside world.

Eventually it seemed that we were done with the tulou. But not with the guide. For Mr Su led us right into his teashop a few steps away from the tulou. After the rituals of brewing tea and having us try different types, he managed to sell us some bags of black and green tea. Probably a good supplement to his income as a guide…

If you are interested to read more about the tulou and Chinese clans, there is an article ‘Monuments to Clan Life are Losing Their Appeal’, in NY Times, see link here.

Written by: Audrey

February 3, 2012

In my lecture on modern Chinese literature I always emphasize the importance of Lu Xun (1881-1936). Until now, I have not yet had a student saying s/he has heard of the name.

Besides introducing his life and work, I also tell them this anecdote about him when he was studying medicine in Japan. During biology class the teacher showed a slide depicting a scene from the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5 in which Chinese men are staring at the execution of their compatriot. Lu Xun later recalls ‘Though they were all of them perfectly sturdy physical specimens, every face was utterly, stupidly blank.’

That was when Lu Xun realized that what the Chinese needed was not medical help, but a cure for their mental state: ‘Literature and the arts, I decided at the time, were the best means to this end. And so I reinvented myself as a crusader for cultural reform.’ So he cast aside his aspiration to become a physician and devoted himself to writing.

As his grandson Zhou Lingfei also emphasizes, it is Lu Xun’s spirit that is so important, he wrote the truth about society and figures like Ah-Q still exist in China. So for a better understanding of China, both Chinese and western readers are encouraged to read Lu Xun.

There are several English translations available, the most recent being: The Real Story of Ah-Q and Other Tales of China: The Complete Fiction of Lu Xun (2009), translated with an introduction by Julia Lovell, and published in the Penguin Classics. The quotes above are from this book.

Written by: Audrey