Professor Shun Kwong-loi is the Chair Professor of Philosophy and Sin Wai Kin Professor of Chinese Culture. He is also Head of New Asia College and Director of the Institute of Chinese Studies. His research interests include Chinese thought, with emphasis on Confucian thought; Ethics, with emphasis on moral psychology and Philosophy of religion.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong has a longstanding tradition of teaching and research in Chinese studies, and the Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS) has played a pioneering role in promoting research in this area since its inception in 1967. ICS was particularly known for its research in sinology, and it currently houses the Art Museum as well as a number of research centers. In the intervening years, research and scholarship in other areas of Chinese studies have blossomed across the University, including studies of the social, political and economic development of contemporary China. In 2011, a major reorganization of ICS was initiated to broaden its remit to include Chinese studies more broadly defined, providing a unique opportunity to transform the University into a major center for scholarly exchange and pioneering research in this area.

The University has a number of unique advantages that equip it for this role. Its historical strengths in sinology, along with its facilitated access to both Chinese and western scholarship due to its location in Hong Kong, position it to become a world leading center in traditional Chinese studies. Its subsequently developed strengths in contemporary China studies are embedded in a deep understanding of tradition, placing the University in a unique position to link up traditional and contemporary studies, in contrast to the usual separation between pre-modern and contemporary Chinese studies in the western academic world. This it can do by unraveling the influence of tradition on the contemporary social, political and economic developments of China, as well as by facilitating the contemporary rethinking of traditional Chinese culture. The unique position of Hong Kong as a gateway to China and as a meeting place between China and the west also enables the University to offer unique opportunities such as cross-fertilization between Chinese and western scholarship and facilitated field opportunities in social studies.

A main goal of the re-organization is to transform ICS into a major center for scholar exchange and pioneering research, by building a community of scholars at the University thereby facilitating the cross-fertilization of ideas and stimulation of new directions of intellectual inquiry. During the one-and-half years since the launch of the re-organization in August 2011, the basic structural elements needed for achieving this goal have been put in place. The Universities Service Center for China Studies has joined the ICS as a constituent unit, and in addition to the constituent units, a network of affiliated centers has been established, facilitating information sharing and community building. A new governance body, the Executive Committee for Chinese Studies, was established to guide the development of Chinese Studies at the University as a whole. Two Associate Directors have been appointed, and a Chinese Studies Program Office with three staff positions has been established, to support the broader remit of the ICS. Internal renovations have taken place in the ICS building, opening up a number of single or shared offices for use by visiting professors and scholars. New communication vehicles have been established, including a revamped web page and a new brochure, as well as a new electronic ICS Bulletin, of which this is the first issue. Funding for Chinese Studies as a Major Area, one of five strategic areas for focused research development at the University, has also been placed under the administration of ICS and with the guidance of the Executive Committee for Chinese Studies. ICS has also dedicated funding to co-sponsor academic events in Chinese studies hosted by other campus units.

Starting this term, systematic efforts at community building have been launched, including regular ICS Luncheons and ICS Coffee Hours. These gatherings provide an informal setting for colleagues in Chinese studies to share their intellectual interests. In addition, with the funding support from Chinese Studies as a Major Area, four programmatic initiatives have been launched: Distinguished Visiting Professorship Scheme, Scholarly Exchange Scheme, International Conference Scheme, and Summer Workshop Scheme. The former two schemes will bring international scholars to campus on an extended basis to join the scholarly community in Chinese studies on campus, enabling sustained intellectual interactions with the potential to stimulate new directions of inquiry and build new partnerships. The latter two schemes will provide opportunities for more focused intellectual exchanges that involve international scholars who are not part of the community of scholars normally in residence at the University, thereby adding momentum to the cross-disciplinary dialogues taking place on campus.