On 9 October 2025, ICS Luncheon invited Ms. Hua Chunrong as the speaker to deliver a talk with the theme of “漆器類文物保護修復——以《康熙朝壽慶人物圖六曲款彩漆屏風》為例”.

Ms. Hua is an Associate Research Fellow at the Restoration Department of the Palace Museum in Beijing. She specializes in the preservation and restoration of lacquerware artifacts and related research, and is recognized as the fifth-generation inheritor of Beijing’s intangible cultural heritage project in lacquer techniques. Ms. Hua is also a visiting scholar under the J. S. Lee Memorial Fellowship Programme (2024/2025), conducting a fourteen-month research and restoration project at the Art Museum of CUHK from August 2024 to October 2025. During this period, she has been working on the conservation and technical study of the Kangxi-era lacquer screen.

In her talk, Ms. Hua shared an overview of the methods used in the conservation and restoration of lacquerware artifacts, as well as insights into traditional lacquer-making techniques. She highlighted the challenges encountered during the restoration of the six-fold screen and the solutions, including material analysis, structural stabilization, and surface treatment. She also touched upon the cultural significance of lacquerware in Chinese art history and the importance of integrating scientific approaches with traditional craftsmanship in heritage preservation.


英雄：歷史記憶與香港的移民、定居和糾紛的傳說

Speaker: Prof. Choi Chi Cheung

On 3 November 2025, ICS Luncheon invited Prof. Choi Chi-Cheung to deliver a talk with the theme of “英雄：歷史記憶與香港的移民、定居和糾紛的傳說”.

Prof. Choi is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of History at The Chinese University of Hong Kong and holds a Ph.D. in Literature from the University of Tokyo. His research focuses on Chinese festivals and folk religion, family and lineage, and the history of business and family enterprises.

During the talk, Prof. Choi examined the collective historical experiences of rural communities in the New Territories, such as village feuds, anti-British movements, and anti-Japanese resistance. He discussed how these experiences were selectively commemorated through ritual practices and how the worship or neglect of heroes reflects local social structures, political alliances, and contemporary circumstances. Case studies included institutionalized hero worship in Ping Shan, marginalized commemorations in Kam Tin and Ha Tsuen, and the transformation of guerrilla fighters into national heroes in Sai Kung.

He highlighted the dynamic relationship between public memory and local politics, showing how commemorative practices serve as tools for constructing regional identity and negotiating power relations. He also emphasized that historical memory is not static but constantly reconstructed under social context, linking past narratives to present needs.