March 01, 2019 Hosted by the Department of Asian Studies, the Hong Kong Studies Initiative (HKSI) at the University of British Columbia is devoted to promoting the teaching and research of this most-improbable metropolis, both as an extraordinary Chinese city and as a spectacular international and transnational hub. |
Dear Friend of HKSI, Below please find the latest happenings of the UBC Hong Kong Studies Initiative. We look forward to seeing you in (all of) our events! |
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Hong Kong Studies / History Seminar Registration: https://hksi.ubc.ca/events/event/seminar-theres-no-place-like-it/ Light lunch is provided starting at 12 pm for those who have registered by Monday, March 11. From the early 1950s on, Hong Kong became a major tourist destination where visitors could have a taste of Chinese culture and catch a glimpse of the PRC beyond the “Bamboo Curtain.” This talk explores how the Hong Kong Tourist Association, established in 1957, promoted Hong Kong as a unique cultural and geopolitical space: Chinese but not quite China; a harmonious blending of East and West and of old and new; and a modern, bustling metropolis coexisting side-by-side with the rural, quaint New Territories. Especially within the contexts of the Cold War and the disintegration of the British Empire, tourism was about more than economics and the movement of people. It became a way for Hong Kong to position itself within Asia and across the globe. John M. Carroll is Professor of History and Associate Dean (Global) in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Hong Kong. Raised in Hong Kong and Taipei, he is author of Edge of Empires: Chinese Elites and British Colonials in Hong Kong, A Concise History of Hong Kong, and the forthcoming Canton Days: British Life and Death in China. This talk draws from his current book project, Destination Hong Kong: Promoting Tourism in Britain’s Chinese Colony. This seminar is organized by the UBC Hong Kong Studies Initiative and co-sponsored by: Department of Asian Studies, Department of History, Centre for Chinese Research, Histories Research Cluster and St. John’s College. |
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Hong Kong Studies Dialogue Registration: http://hksi.ubc.ca/events/event/dialogue-hong-kong-in-the-age-of-the-chinese-dream/ Since the handover in 1997, despite—or because of—the promise of “One Country, Two Systems,” ties between Hong Kong and mainland China have become ever closer. As the world enters the Age of the Chinese Dream, how should this former British colony situate itself? And how should people in Hong Kong pursue their diverse (and, at times, incompatible) aspirations? Alex Yong Kang Chow 周永康 is a former secretary-general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students. He was sentenced to seven months in prison in 2017 for his political leadership in the Umbrella Movement. He is an initiator of the Community Citizen Charter Movement, the Community Press Crowdfunding Scheme in Hong Kong, and the archival project Decoding Hong Kong. He also serves as a member of Network of Young Democratic Asians, which aims at building a region-based platform for activism and young activists. He is currently a Ph.D. student in Geography at the University of California, Berkeley. Prof. Tai-lok Lui 呂大樂 is Vice President (Research and Development) and Chair Professor of Hong Kong Studies at The Education University of Hong Kong. He is also Director of the Academy of Hong Kong Studies and the Centre for Greater China Studies. Prof. Lui’s research interests cover class analysis, economic sociology, urban sociology, and Hong Kong studies. He is a co-author of Hong Kong, China: Learning to Belong to a Nation and Hong Kong: Becoming a Chinese Global City as well as a co-editor of Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Hong Kong. Prof. Lui is a columnist and an active member of various committees in NGOs, governmental, and professional bodies. This public dialogue is organized by the UBC Hong Kong Studies Initiative and co-sponsored by: Department of Asian Studies, Department of History, Department of Political Science, Centre for Chinese Research, and St. John’s College. |
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Community Forum Registration: https://bit.ly/2BRo3uP The Umbrella Movement of 2014 was a major milestone in the history of the democratic movement in Hong Kong. Though it has failed to lead to democratic reforms, the movement did witness the rise of the so-called localists, many of whom were too young to have had experienced colonial rule. And though they share the aspiration of a more democratic Hong Kong, such “localists” do differ from many from the pro-democracy camp in how they view the past and future of the former British colony. This conversation will explore such imaginations as well as the implications of their commonalities and differences. 五年前的雨傘運動為香港的民主發展奠下了一個新的里程碑。儘管這運動沒有為香港人帶來應得的民主選舉權，但卻把由保衛皇后碼頭等一連串保育抗爭行動所蘊釀的本土意識，推向爭取政治民主方向。以年青人為主的本土派，逐漸成為香港政治角力的一股新力量。他們沒有經過1989民主運動的政治洗禮，亦未必有在殖民地生活的親身經驗。他們與香港主流民主派對香港民主的訴求可能一致，但是兩者在對香港過去與未來的想像，和對爭取民主的策略上卻存在一定差異。那究竟兩者對香港未來的想像會是如何？而他們之間的相同和差異又會如何影響到香港的命運？ This community forum is hosted by the Vancouver Hong Kong Forum Society and co-presented by the UBC Hong Kong Studies Initiative. |
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Exhibition It’s a heaven over there is the first solo exhibition in Canada by celebrated Hong Kong artist Samson Young. Situated in a cavernous gallery in a pink walled, neon-lit, 1980s era shopping mall in Vancouver’s ever gentrifying Chinatown, this multimedia installation originates from Young’s archival research on Won Alexander Cumyow, the first person of Chinese descent born in Canada, and mobilizes Centre A’s location in a former retail mall to stage a double vision of global retrotopianism. Samson Young is an highly regarded composer as well as sound and media artist based in Hong Kong. He has held solo exhibitions at the Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Centre for Contemporary Chinese Art in Manchester, M+ Pavilion in Hong Kong, and Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, among others. Samson was named the 2013 Artist of the Year (Media Art) by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and was chosen in 2017 to represent Hong Kong in the 57th Venice Biennale. Details: http://centrea.org/2019/01/its-a-heaven-over-there/ |
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Thursday, 28 March 2019, 6:00–8:00 pm Registration: http://bit.ly/UBCVivek In this talk, Hong Kong comedian Vivek Mahbubani will share the often-overlooked side of comedy that would both make you laugh and even cry a little through his jokes and stories Vivek Mahbubani is a bi-lingual and Hong Kong-bred stand-up comedian who performs in both Cantonese and English. He was crowned 2007 Chinese and 2008 English Funniest Comedian in Hong Kong and was the host of the TV series “Hong Kong Stories” by RTHK 香港電台. He appeared in a cameo role for the movie “All’s well, ends well 2009” and is a headliner at TakeOut Comedy Club Hong Kong. He was recently named one of the 2018 Ten Outstanding Young Persons of Hong Kong. |
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Friday, 29 March 2019, 7:00–9:00 pm Registration: http://bit.ly/UBCVivek (Admission: $5; cash only at the door) Vivek Mahbubani – Comedian 棟篤笑 is coming to UBC! Enjoy a night of Stand-up Comedy in Cantonese! |
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Sunday, 3 March 2019, 3:30 pm Details: https://moa.ubc.ca/event/divine-threads-a-guided-tour-of-cantonese-opera-costume-design/ Artist JC Jessie will lead a bilingual English/Cantonese guided tour of MOA’s stunning Cantonese Opera collection, with a focus on the opera’s innovative approaches to costume design, both past and present. 粵劇戲服導賞活動將於 2019年3月3日下午3時半在人類學博物館 (MOA) 舉行。由藝術史家劉詩源和香港跨界藝術家 JC Jessie 分別用英語和粵語講解傳統及當代戲服的創意設計。 |
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After the Protest: A Vancouver Archive of the Umbrella Movement of 2014 The UBC Hong Kong Studies Initiative is inviting volunteers to participate in an oral history project that seeks to document the impacts of the Umbrella Movement of 2014. The 79-day Umbrella Movement of 2014 was a watershed moment in the history of Hong Kong. Not only has the protest movement transformed the political and social dynamics of the city, it has also deeply affected overseas Hong Kong/Chinese communities. Though most would agree that the Umbrella Movement has been transformative, how such transformations are perceived or felt by individuals is much less well documented. The goal for this project is to create a publicly accessible oral history archive to enable future students and researchers to learn more about the impacts of the Umbrella Movement on the Hong Kong community in Vancouver. |
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In case you missed the February events below, please follow the links for photos/videos. February 7: Students of CNTO 451 (Advanced Cantonese through Popular Culture) were visited by the talented Ms. Anita Yuen Wah Lee 李婉華, who shared her experiences working in the entertainment industry in Hong Kong, China, and Canada (photos). February 8: The Chinese/Cantonese Language programs at UBC welcomed the lunar new year with another spectacular celebration (video). February 24: Prof. Ma Ngok 馬嶽 (Chinese University of Hong Kong) spoke to a full house at the Richmond Public Library on the “value gap” in the governance of Hong Kong (photos; news article). February 25: Students of HIST 373 (History of Hong Kong) were joined by 60+ members of the UBC community for a guest lecture by Prof. Ma Ngok on the evolution of the democracy movement in Hong Kong (photos). |
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Please kindly consider a tax-deductible donation to HKSI (hksi.ubc.ca/support-us). Thank you, as always, for your support of the UBC Hong Kong Studies Initiative. |
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