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Dear Friends of HKSI,
Welcome to the new academic year and another season of events and activities of the UBC Hong Kong Studies Initiative!
The world—and Hong Kong, for sure—has undergone a sea-change over the past 15 months. As a historian, I am mindful that perceptions of transformations could be deceptive, but I think it is fair to say that, especially in the case of Hong Kong, many of what one might have reasonably taken for granted just a year or two ago have indeed, all of a sudden, begun to vanish.
Our self-imposed mandate here at UBC is, at the very minimum, trying to make sense of such changes. We continue to believe that Hong Kong should be studied and understood from multiple perspectives (hence the multidisciplinary nature of the Initiative), and we continue to hold that Hong Kong’s trajectories could, and should, help shed light on the collective human experiences.
To that end, among other activities, during this academic year we will be hosting a series of seminars, conversations, and related events under the rubric “City Reassembled.” We are particularly interested in exploring the past, present, and future of the Hong Kong diasporas, and we are especially eager to listen to a range of voices. So do reach out to us if you have suggestions.
As you will learn more below, to help kick off the academic year, we would like to specially welcome Dr. Helena Wu, formerly of the University of Zürich, to the Department of Asian Studies as Assistant Professor of Hong Kong Studies. This is a wonderful development for Hong Kong studies at UBC, and we are beyond thrilled!
Finally, we would like to welcome Sonia Kung, a fourth-year student in Media Studies at UBC, as our new student associate/communications czar (okay, that is not her formal title).
With very best wishes for the new academic year,
Leo K. Shin 單國鉞
Associate Professor, History and Asian Studies
Convenor, Hong Kong Studies Initiative 共研香江
The University of British Columbia, Vancouver
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The Hong Kong Studies Initiative presents “ City Reassembled” 我載 • 我城, a series of seminars, conversations, and associated events to explore the past, present, and future of the Hong Kong diaspora.
This series is generously co-sponsored by: Department of Asian Studies, Department of History, Centre for Chinese Research, Centre for Migration Studies, Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies, Public Humanities Hub, and the Interdisciplinary Histories Research Cluster.
Details: hksi.ubc.ca/events/event/series-city-reassembled/
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Friday, 1 October 2021, 19:00–20:30 PDT
The Chinese and Hong Kong Diasporas in the U.S.-China Conflict
Prof. Y. Joseph Lian
International College of Liberal Arts, Yamanashi Gakuin University
via Zoom
A City Reassembled event
Registration: hksi.ubc.ca/events/event/webinar-chinese-and-hong-kong-diasporas-in-the-us-china-conflict/
The United States—and the West in general—and China are on a collision course, and both the Chinese and Hong Kong diasporas are caught in the crossfire. What could we expect? Two developments from the past are of relevance: the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and the rise of McCarthyism in the 1950s. Though an exact repeat is unlikely, some variations on the theme are gaining traction, especially given the real and perceived threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party. In this talk, Prof. Lian will explore the relevance of the two past developments in question as well as how members of the Chinese and Hong Kong diasporas (which, in the foreseeable future, cannot be fully disassociated) could prepare themselves.
Professor Y. Joseph Lian 練乙錚 was born and raised in Hong Kong. He obtained his B.A. (magna cum laude) in mathematics from Carleton College, Minnesota, and his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Minnesota, where he wrote his dissertation under Edward E. Prescott, a 2004 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences. Prof. Lian was a senior policy advisor and speech writer for the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR Government from 1998 to 2004, when he was summarily dismissed for openly supporting the pro-democracy movement in the city. He was also, for four years, a chief editor and lead writer of the Hong Kong Economic Journal, the city’s then premier business newspaper. .
Prof. Lian has been teaching in Japan since 2010, first at Akita International University and now at Yamanashi Gakuin University, on the foothills of Mount Fuji. He has published widely in both academic and professional outlets, and he has written extensively on Hong Kong and China-related issues. Since 2014, Prof. Lian has been a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times.
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| WELCOME TO UBC ASIAN STUDIES |
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It is with great pleasure that we welcome Dr. Helena Wu, Assistant Professor of Hong Kong Studies in the Department of Asian Studies, to the University of British Columbia. Check out this interview to learn more about Dr. Wu’s research and teaching interests.
And even though she is no stranger to UBC, we would like to officially welcome HKSI Associate Dr. Fuyubi Nakamura to the Department of Asian Studies as Assistant Professor of Visual and Material Cultures of Asia. Be sure to check out Dr. Nakamura’s latest curatorial project, “A Future for Memory: Art and Life after the Great East Japan Earthquake” (closing 19 September 2021).
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ACAM Welcome Back Event 2021
Thursday, 23 September 2021, 14:30–16:00 PDT
“The Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies program invites you to join our 2021 Welcome Back Event on Thursday, September 23! Through this online event you will learn more about the ACAM team, the program, and new programming and initiatives for Fall 2021. This event is also an opportunity to connect with current students, faculty, staff members, and community partners associated with the program.”
Details: acam.arts.ubc.ca/events/event/acam-welcome-back-event-2021/
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ACAM Dialogues: Building Anti-Racism on Campus
“Applications are now open for the ACAM Dialogues 2021/2: Building Anti-Racism on Campus series! This year, the ACAM Dialogues will take place as a virtual workshop-style series facilitated by and for students. A cohort of 20 selected students will meet throughout the year to collectively participate in discussion circles, events and debriefs, resource-sharing, and other activities around anti-racism.”
Deadline for application: 24 September 2021
Details: acamdialogues.arts.ubc.ca/building-anti-racism-on-campus-2021-2/
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The Politics of Language in Hong Kong Symposium
“This symposium and book project will look at issues concerning the Politics of Language in Hong Kong from a multidisciplinary perspective (education, geography, history, linguistics, political science, sociology, etc.). Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: Cantonese and the politics of identity and resistance in Hong Kong; Hong Kong Cantonese standardization (Cantonese characters, romanization, pronunciation, etc.); language shift and revitalization in Hong Kong (Wai Tau, Hakka, etc.); language use in the political realm; Mandarin education and its implications; non-Chinese languages in Hong Kong; influence of colonial regimes on Hong Kong’s linguistic landscape.”
Deadline for submissions: 1 October 2021
Details: shorturl.at/dfCHK
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Teaching Hong Kong, Hong Kong Teaching:
A Hong Kong Studies Symposium
4 December 2021 HKT
“The late Hong Kong writer Leung Ping-kwan famously asked, ‘Why is the story of Hong Kong so difficult to tell?’ The enduring nature of the question and its unanswerability is partly due to the city's constantly changing identity and the various factors that influence how its story can be told, or can be told at all. The late Hong Kong writer Leung Ping-kwan famously asked, ‘Why is the story of Hong Kong so difficult to tell?’ The enduring nature of the question and its unanswerability is partly due to the city's constantly changing identity and the various factors that influence how its story can be told, or can be told at all. In this symposium, we try to look at another facet of Hong Kong and its local and global representation—in terms of teaching. How do we teach Hong Kong in Hong Kong, and how do we teach Hong Kong in the world? What considerations are taken? Which Hong Kong? What aspects of Hong Kong can be taught? Can Hong Kong teach the world something? Can Hong Kong be taught something from elsewhere in the world?”
Deadline for submissions: 15 October 2021
Details: eng.cuhk.edu.hk/HKStudies/announcements/20210719_TeachingHongKong.php
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Translating Hong Kong 翻譯香港
10–11 December 2021 HKT
“The topic of the 2021 edition of Backreading Hong Kong Annual Symposium is ‘Translating Hong Kong.’ We are interested in the research that considers translation as a metaphor that attempts to freshen the studies of Hong Kong culture, literature, and languages. We invite presentations that ask inspiring and contentious questions about the translation among various forms of cultural expression about Hong Kong. Does translating Hong Kong imply an open or closed circulation of her culture? How has translation, broadly defined, bettered a global understanding of Hong Kong culture? Does translating Hong Kong only serve to reiterate the colonial dominance of English? What can we say about translating into Hong Kong English or other kinds of English? And what can we say about translating between Cantonese and English? Does translating Hong Kong creative output legitimise it? We also welcome discussions of discoveries and new developments in any facets of translation and Hong Kong, both literary and non-literary. In particular, we would like to explore novel ways of viewing translation in the Hong Kong context.”
Deadline for submissions: 15 October 2021
Details: backreading.wordpress.com/cfp/
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Vancouver International Film Festival
1–11 October 2021
The 40th Vancouver International Film Festival will feature three films from Hong Kong:
Barbarian Invasion 野蠻人入侵 (2021)
Director: Tan Chui Mui
Trailer
“Writer-director Tan Chui Mui puts herself in the spotlight with this delightful showbiz satire. She plays Lee Yoon Moon, a Southeast Asian movie star who has been cast in a rip-off of The Bourne Identity and must learn to perform her own martial arts stunts. What unfolds is a journey of self-discovery that contains some jarring surprises. Loopy, hypnotic, and quietly thrilling, this is a film to savour.”
Keep Rolling 好好拍電影 (2020)
Director: Man Lim Chung
Trailer
“The recipient of Venice Film Festival’s 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award, Ann Hui’s 40-year artistic trajectory not only mirrors the roller-coaster ride that is Hong Kong cinema, but parallels the poignant yet resilient course of its history. Hui displays her storytelling genius not only with celluloid but in humourous, candid conversation. This documentary seamlessly weaves interviews and archival material into a Who’s Who of Asian cinema, and is catnip for cinephiles anywhere.”
Time 殺出個黃昏 (2021)
Director: Tan Chui Mui
Trailer
“Thanks to Hong Kong’s lack of senior citizen welfare, a trio of dagger-throwing, whip-cracking and ace-driving geriatric assassins find a lucrative, if morally dodgy way to restart their careers. But a meddling teenager threatens to derail their business. A riotous party of 60s movie nostalgia, this action-packed dramedy is also a dazzling comeback for Patrick Tse and Petrina Fung, the Cary Grant and Shirley Temple of Cantonese cinema, while Lam Suet adds grassroots grit to their glamour.”
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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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