On 28 September 2023, ICS Luncheon invited Mr. Ian Huen to deliver a talk on Late Qing and Modern China.

Mr. Ian Huen graduated from Princeton University with an A.B. degree in Economics in June 2001, and earned his MA degree in Comparative and Public History from CUHK in June 2016. He is the author of The Rising Sons: China’s Imperial Succession & The Art of War, What Bruce Lee Didn’t Know about Kung Fu and Other Revelations about China, and《你說的是從前——清末與今日中國》. As a trustee board member of Dr. Stanley Ho Medical Development Foundation, Mr. Huen facilitates advisory, development funding, and access to research resources across Asia. He also writes a newspaper column, in which he discusses topics regarding medical development, Chinese philosophy, Chinese history, and business management.

During the Luncheon, Mr. Huen contrasted the weakness of the late Qing Dynasty with the wealth and strength of contemporary China. He began by summarizing the events of the Qing Dynasty since the Hundred Days’ Reform in 1898. The futility of the reformists’ effort, the declaration of war between the Qing Dynasty and the Eight-Power Allied Forces, and the failure of the Late Qing Reforms all contributed to the deterioration of China. It was not until the 1911 Revolution that the country saw a radical change in its course of development. Through a further comparison of the decline of the late Qing Dynasty with China’s current efforts toward rejuvenation, particularly in the development of infrastructure, economy, and energy, differences between the two eras are evident.

Ms. Chau Yuan-weng – 《海角嚶鳴：香港中文大學文物館藏蘇文擢致何叔惠函牘》述介

On 19 October 2023, ICS Luncheon invited Ms. Chau Yuan-weng to deliver a talk regarding the literary exchange between two famous literati of Southern China.

Ms. Chau Yuan-weng’ a graduate of the University of Hong Kong, has been serving in the CUHK library. Her publications include A Hanlin Scholar’s Legacy: Handwritten Letters to Lai Chi-hsi from Distinguished Contemporaries, The House of a Hundred Teapots: Painting and Calligraphy Treasures in Tribute to Mr. Li Kinghong, An Annotated Bibliography of the Classical Writings of Hong Kong Poets, and The Brushmarks of Friendship: Poetry and Calligraphy Treasures in Tribute to Pun Sun-on.

During the Luncheon, Ms. Chau introduced the letters and poems written by Prof. So Man Jock of United College to Mr. Ho Shok-wai, a well-known Confucian scholar. Both of them were from Shunde, Guangdong Province, and were well-versed in Chinese classics, poetry, and prose. They maintained a close friendship and wrote letters to each other frequently. These letters are a record of their bond, their lives, and the social conditions, in which they discussed culture, literature, and art, as well as the difficulties they were facing. Through the study of these letters, the life of the early intellectuals and the historic heritage of Lingnan culture in Hong Kong can be explored.

*This Lecture is a part of RGC Collaborative Research Project “Lingnan Culture and the World” (2023-2026)