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Dear Friends of HKSI,
This month, in addition to hosting a talk by my colleague Dr. Miu Chung Yan of the School of Social Work as part of the “City Reassembled” series, we are observing Remembrance Day with a special presentation on the Battle of Hong Kong in 1941 by Dr. Kwong Chi Man of the Hong Kong Baptist University. Please join us if you are able and interested.
One of the many things we have learned from the past year and a half is to be especially mindful of time zones. Since many academic events are still held online, please note that daylight saving time will be ending in North America on Sunday, November 7. So, be sure to move your clock back one hour and enjoy an extra hour of sleep.
With very best wishes,
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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Friday, 5 November 2021, 19:00–20:30 PDT
The Battle of Hong Kong in 1941: A Spatial History Project
Dr. KWONG Chi Man, Hong Kong Baptist University
via Zoom
Registration: hksi.ubc.ca/events/event/webinar-battle-of-hong-kong-in-1941/
This talk introduces our spatial history project “ Hong Kong 1941,” which uses geographic information systems (GIS) to build an interactive web map about the Battle of Hong Kong and a database of British military installations in Hong Kong during the Second World War. It offers an easy-to-use historical database for educators, tourists, and conservation professionals. There have been numerous studies on the Battle of Hong Kong in 1941; in recent years, more primary sources are available in the form of the memoirs of those who had experienced it. However, it has been a challenge for researchers to show the spatial and temporal dimensions of the battle and their relationship with the events, the people’s experience, and the war ruins that still exist in Hong Kong. The spatial history project “Hong Kong 1941” tries to tackle such a challenge and aims to bridge the gaps that existed between the British and Japanese accounts to offer a clearer view of the battle and to show the diverse experiences of the combatants and the civilians during the eighteen days of fighting. It also serves as a platform where stories often overlooked by war narratives are exhibited in conjunction with the major events.
Dr. KWONG Chi Man is an associate professor in the history department of Hong Kong Baptist University. He specializes in the military and naval history of modern East Asia, particularly from the Sino-Japanese War (1894–95) to the 1970s. He has published Eastern Fortress: A Military History of Hong Kong, 1840–1970 (co-authored, Hong Kong Book Prize 2019) and War and Geopolitics in Interwar Manchuria (Brill, 2017). His works can also be found in Modern Asian Studies, War in History, and Journal of Military History. His latest book, Hong Kongers in the British Armed Forces, 1860–1997, is forthcoming from Oxford University Press.
This webinar is organized by the UBC Hong Kong Studies Initiative and co-sponsored by: Department of Asian Studies, Department of History, Centre for Chinese Research, Public Humanities Hub, and the Interdisciplinary Histories Research Cluster.
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Webinar
Friday, 19 November 2021, 17:00–18:30 PST
Enrooting an Emerging Diasporic Identity: The Legacies of Hong Kong Immigrants in Canada’s Migration History
Dr. Miu Chung Yan, School of Social Work, UBC
via Zoom
A City Reassembled event
Registration: hksi.ubc.ca/events/event/webinar-enrooting-an-emerging-diasporic-identity/
Recent political developments have, without doubt, fostered an unusually strong sense of local identity among Hong Kongers. This is so even among many who have chosen to migrate elsewhere. In this talk, Dr. Miu Chung Yan will examine the history, uniqueness, and legacies of the immigration of Hong Kongers to Canada, and he will explore how recent developments have shaped the formation of a new identity. But this new diasporic identity, Dr. Yan argues, cannot be sustained by simply appealing to transnational politics. As members of a diasporic community located in Canada, Hong Kong immigrants should also (re)claim their own legacies in their host country.
Dr. Miu Chung YAN is a professor at the School of Social Work at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Born and raised in the former British colony, Dr. Yan has long been interested in the development of the social welfare system in Hong Kong. And as a scholar of migration studies, he has also conducted research on the evolution and transformation of the Hong Kong diasporic communities. Dr. Yan’s latest commentary on Hong Kong Canadians, “Return of the Returnees? Dual Citizenship and Hong Kong’s Global Talent Base,” can be found on AsiaGlobal Online.
This webinar is organized by the UBC Hong Kong Studies Initiative and 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.
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Book Launch
Tuesday, 16 November 2021, 12:30–14:00 PST
What Is the Path to “Common Prosperity” under Xi Jinping?
Dr. Wei Cui, Allard School of Law
—with Drs. Timothy Cheek, Kristen Hopewell, Julia Harten, and Patrick Francois
“The phrase ‘common prosperity’ grabbed major news headlines in the West after its appearance in a Chinese Communist Party communique in August. Commentators claim that Xi is ‘cracking down on the rich,’ ‘clamping down on capital,’ and ‘shifting political priorities’ from economic growth to redistribution.
On Tuesday, November 16, 2021, join the online book talk hosted by UBC’s Centre for Chinese Research. The event will feature discussions with Professor Wei Cui on his soon to be published book, The Administrative Foundations of the Chinese Fiscal State. We will discuss whether the CCP is reembracing egalitarianism and what implications economic inequality in China holds for Canada.”
Details: ccr.ubc.ca/events/event/book-discussion-what-is-the-path-to-common-prosperity-under-xi-jinping/
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From Rural China to the Ivy League: Reminiscences of Transformations in Modern Chinese History
Elegantly translated by Drs. Josephine Chiu-Duke and Michael S. Duke, this memoir by the late Professor Yü Ying-shih of Princeton University is finally available in print in English.
The Future of Canada-China Relations
HKSI faculty associates Drs. Paul Evans, Jie Cheng, Diana Lary, Pitman Potter, Leo K. Shin, and Yves Tiberghien weigh in on the future of Canada-Hong Kong relations.
Indigenous Taiwan: Transpacific Connections
Organized by Dr. Christopher Rea, "Indigenous Taiwan: Transpacific Connections" is a series of conversations with writers and filmmakers who have been at the forefront of sharing Indigenous Taiwan with the world.
Chatty Cantonese 粵語白白講
“A regular podcast hosted by Raymond Pai and Cameron White, two academics invested in the teaching and study of the Cantonese language.”
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Book Talk
Tuesday, 2 November 2021, 20:00–21:30 PDT
Made in Hong Kong: A Conversation with Peter E. Hamilton
Discussants: Florence Mok and Leo K. Shin
Online
“Between 1949 and 1997, Hong Kong transformed from a struggling British colonial outpost into a global financial capital. Made in Hong Kong delivers a new narrative of this metamorphosis, revealing Hong Kong both as a critical engine in the expansion and remaking of postwar global capitalism and as the linchpin of Sino-U.S. trade since the 1970s. Analyzing untapped archival sources from around the world, this book demonstrates why we cannot understand postwar globalization, China’s economic rise, or today’s Sino-U.S. trade relationship without centering Hong Kong.”
Details: globalhks-uc.org/made-in-hong-kong-book-talk
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Workshops
Spatial & Visual Hong Kong History: A Methodology Workshop Series
5, 12 & 17 November 2021 HKT
In-person and online
“The Society for Hong Kong Studies is delighted to announce that a new history methodology workshop series will be held in November 2021. This workshop series introduces a spatial and visual approach to Hong Kong history and relevant sources. Researchers in Hong Kong history are especially encouraged to join.”
Details: hkstudies.org/spatial-visual-hong-kong-history-a-methodology-workshop-series/
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Webinar
Tuesday, 16 November 2021, 18:00–19:30 PST
Sinophone Studies and Hong Kong Studies
Online
“Professor Shu-mei Shih (UCLA) has pioneered the field of ‘Sinophone Studies’ as a critical intervention to rethink ‘China Studies.’ In this seminar, we will read Professor Shih’s article ‘What is Sinophone Studies?’ and discuss its implications for ‘Global Hong Kong Studies.’ Professor Chun Chun Ting (Nanyang Technological University) will serve as our commentator to kick off the discussion.”
Details: globalhks-uc.org/sinophone-studies-and-hong-kong-studies
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Grand Opening
Saturday, 6 November 2021
Chinatown Storytelling Centre
145 E Pender Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
“Explore the vibrant history of Vancouver’s Chinatown through interactive exhibits filled with stories from the people who lived, worked and played there. Artefacts, photos, and recordings from the 1880s to present day create an immersive self-guided storytelling experience for the whole family.”
Details: chinatownstorytellingcentre.org/
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Exhibition
November 2020–January 2022
A Seat at the Table: Chinese Immigration and British Columbia
If you haven’t had a chance to visit this exhibition (co-curated by HKSI Associate Dr. Henry Yu), be sure to do so before it closes.
“The Museum of Vancouver and the University of British Columbia proudly present a new feature exhibition, A Seat at the Table, Chinese Immigration and British Columbia. This exhibition explores historical and contemporary stories of Chinese Canadians in BC and their struggles for belonging. It looks to food and restaurant culture as an entry point to feature stories that reveal the great diversity of immigrant experience and of the communities immigrants develop.”
Details: museumofvancouver.ca/a-seat-at-the-table-mov
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Screenings
Vancouver Asian Film Festival
4–14 November 2021
“The theme of this year’s VAFF is ‘Past, Present & Possibilities,’ as we reflect on the festival’s illustrious achievements in these 25 years, celebrate how far we’ve come in elevating the profile of Asian Canadians in cinema, and look to the future with a mission to keep spreading a message of inclusivity and help take Asian filmmaking to new heights.”
Included in this year’s offerings is Drifting 濁水漂流 (2021; dir. Jun Li), “a story about how a group of people depend on each other for survival during the failure of social infrastructure and dispossession, and ultimately, their quest for dignity and justice.”
Details: festival.vaff.org/2021/
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October 21: Moderated by Dr. Benjamin Cheung, a distinguished panel of current and recently-survived graduate students (Dr. Meingold Chan, Ryan Iu, Dr. Zoe Lam, and Karen Wong) shared their experiences in pursuing graduate studies in the humanities and social sciences.
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October 29: Prof. Gregory Lee of the University of St. Andrews was joined by discussant Dr. Clement Tong in a wide-ranging seminar on the emergence of “Hong Kong People” as an identity (webcast | 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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