About Us
Faculty Centenary
The Centenary celebrations were officially launched with the inaugural MB Lee Distinguished Lecture in the Humanities delivered by Professor Jonathan Hay on October 25, 2012. The celebrations will run from October 2012 to September 2013, commemorating the admission of the first Arts students in October 1912 and the election of the first Dean of Arts, Professor A.E. Wrottesley-Salt, in September 1913, respectively.
As we enter our second century with renewed confidence and energy, we will strive to reach new heights in our mission to provide a comprehensive, humanistic and liberal research environment for our staff and students, as well as lifelong learning opportunities for the community. Anniversaries encourage us to celebrate the past while looking forward to the future; what is more, they are an opportunity to thank the people who have made this journey not only possible, but also rewarding and exciting.
Highlights of the Arts Centenary Celebrations:
Arts Farewell to the Main Building
The Faculty held an Arts Farewell to the Main Building event on Sunday, April 22, 2012, that brought together Arts staff, students, and alumni, in a celebration of their time in this iconic building at the heart of the University. The event, which was held in Loke Yew Hall, included Opening Remarks by the former Chief Secretary for Administration Anson Chan; poem readings by Agnes Lam and Leung Ping Kwan; the presentation of the student Video Competition Prize by University Artists Mabel Cheung and Alex Law; a performance of Haydn's Farewell Symphony by the Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra; and a percussion parade around the Main Building led by University Artist Lung Heung-wing.
MB Lee Distinguished Lecture in the Humanities: What does Art do? The Articulate Artwork
The inaugural MB Lee Distinguished Lecture in the Humanities, entitled ‘The Articulate Artwork’, was delivered on October 25, 2012 by Professor Jonathan Hay, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Professor at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. About the Lecture Series: The MB Lee Distinguished Lectures in the Humanities are designed to promote the significance of the arts and humanities to the wider public. Accessible, curious and enriching, the talks should stimulate a passion for the arts and a desire to see the values of the humanities benefit the social well-being of Hong Kong.
Good Company: Leung Ping-kwan's Hong Kong
The Faculty of Arts held the Opening Ceremony for the exhibition "Good Company: Leung Ping-kwan's Hong Kong" on January 30. The exhibition commemorated the work of our city's foremost literary voice, Yesi, who sadly passed away on January 5, 2013. The exhibition was inspired by Leung Ping-kwan's collaboration with 9 artist friends and communicated their shared vision of Hong Kong. Five of the exhibits had not been shown before. The Exhibition also offered a bibliographical survey of Leung Ping-kwan's work in three genres - poetry, prose, fiction – from earlier to more recent times.
Always in Our Hearts: Treasures of Professor Hsü Ti Shan Exhibition
Professor Hsü Ti Shan, an eminent scholar from Yenching University,
Peking, was appointed professor of Chinese at the University in
1935, and served until his premature death in 1941. Despite his short
term of six years, Professor Hsü was instrumental in shaping what
would eventually become the School of Chinese.
This exhibition commemorated the 120th Anniversary of Professor Hsü
Ti Shan's birth and the 85th Anniversary of the School of Chinese. It was jointly presented by the University Archives and School of Chinese, and held with the support of the Faculty of Arts and the University of
Hong Kong Libraries.
Professor Jonathan Spence, who has long been regarded as one of the most influential historians of Chinese history and currently holds the title of Sterling Professor of History Emeritus at Yale University, gave a lecture at the University of Hong Kong on May 14, 2013. This public lecture examined how early Chinese sources from three hundred years ago guide us into the worlds where the ordinary bureaucrats lost their way. It looked at the universe of peddlers and doctors, exiles and wanderers, exam candidates and temple guardians, forgers and inn-keepers, fortune tellers, mountain dwellers and travelling salesmen.
Other Arts Centenary Events
Faculty of Arts Centenary Exhibition: OpenEndedGroup: Upending
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