CUHK Library E-newsletter

New Publication

A Vibrant Voyage from China: Pith Paintings at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Library

Pith paper paintings, for which Western painting techniques were adopted, were prevalent in Guangzhou during the late Qing period in the 19th century. Due to their Chinese themes, affordable prices, and portability, these paintings became popular souvenirs among European and American traders, collectors, and sailors residing at the port. These small pith paper paintings not only helped bridge the gap of mutual understanding between the East and the West but also reflected the Westerners’ romantic imagination of this exotic land. This newly published album showcases the pith paper paintings collected by the CUHK Library. Created in 19th century Guangzhou, these artworks vividly depict daily life scenes of that era.

Empowering CUHK Researchers: The Enhancements of the New Institutional Research Information System (IRIS)

The CUHK’s new IRIS will go live in January 2025, replacing the research output module of the Academic Information Management System (AIMS). Briefly, the major differences between the two systems are as follows.

As IRIS supports a broader range of content types than AIMS, it can better capture and manage information arising from different dimensions of the research lifecycle in a single platform. In addition to research outputs and projects, IRIS will support knowledge transfer activities, prizes, and media coverage/contributions. In IRIS, researchers can create links between different content types to provide a holistic picture of their research impact activities.

The new IRIS will also enhance the CUHK’s capacity to curate institutional research outputs. IRIS has better functionality than AIMS in integrating with external databases to retrieve and store research metrics and rich publication metadata, including open access indicators and author affiliations. A much-needed auto-harvesting function will be available to alleviate researchers’ data submission burden.

The new public research portal is designed to be more user-friendly, making it easier for everyone to navigate. With author affiliations stored in the IRIS backend, research network maps can be automatically generated to visualise international collaborations. Sustainable Development Goals and research keywords are automatically discerned and tagged to records, ensuring that researchers’ expertise can be readily discovered by the public. The new IRIS will thus enhance the global visibility of CUHK’s research excellence and achievements.

Important updates will be posted through announcements on various channels. Stay tuned!

‘Pushing the Frontiers of AI: CUHK’s Journey Through Innovation’ Exhibition

Join us for an inspiring exhibition that will showcase the university’s commitment to advancing AI technology and its application in various aspects of life. This exhibition will also pay tribute to the late CUHK Prof. Tang Xiao’ou, in partnership with SenseTime. Everyone is welcome to explore and enjoy the exhibition!

Exhibition Details:

Date: 14 October - 25 November 2024

Time: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Venue: Learning Garden and MakerSpace, LG/F, University Library

Co-organizers: CUHK Library and Faculty of Engineering

‘Lost and Found in Hong Kong: The Unsung Chinese Heroes at D-Day’ Exhibition

In 2015, a group of history enthusiasts accidentally stumbled upon a diary in a soon-to-be demolished residential building in Hong Kong. The diary belonged to Lam Ping-yu, who was part of a select group of 24 Chinese naval officers sent to Britain for training during World War II. As their first mission in Europe, many took part in the D-Day Landings and Operation Dragoon in the liberation of Southern France.

Lam Ping-yu’s diary appears to be the only known primary source on Chinese participation in D-Day. It contains numerous first-hand stories about the realities of war, down to a narrow escape from three Nazi torpedoes nearly striking the vessel on which Lam served at Normandy. There are countless depictions of excitement, frustration, envy, and even romance!

Hong Kong also features in Lam’s diary. In 1945, he took part in Operation Armour, an operation devised by the British government to alleviate Hong Kong’s dire situation following Japanese occupation. His writings provide us with a glimpse into the city’s post-war recovery.

The CUHK Library is proud to support the “Lost and Found in Hong Kong: The Unsung Chinese Heroes at D-Day” Exhibition. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to learn about a lesser-known aspect of World War II!

Exhibition Details:

Date: 23 September - 24 December 2024
Venue: Reading Area next to Digital Scholarship Lab, G/F, University Library

For additional information, please visit www.dday.hk or their Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram pages.