While on the subject of acknowledgements mention should also be made here that in January 1997 your Council presented a letter of appreciation and a signed copy of Beyond the Metropolis to Best Year Enterprise Ltd, a real estate company, for donating funds to assist in the restoration of Poon Uk. Their efforts to help restore an outstanding example of Hakka architecture, in Yuen Long, is a significant gesture and sets an example to other organisations which we hope they will follow.
Conclusions
To some degree changes in Hong Kong during the year of transition and beyond will affect our Society, which, in effect, is a United Kingdom organisation with a branch in Hong Kong. In January and February 1997 your Council discussed, yet again, the question of whether we should drop the prefix 'Royal'. A small survey was conducted. The conclusion was that a limited number of members were in favour of a change and that, at least for the immediate future, the 'Royal' should be retained.
With a relatively large institution it is not possible, naturally, to satisfy everyone all the time. Our Society has been criticised for not being sufficiently academic, for not being sufficiently selective in membership, and for having too few young members. Jean Sibelius (1865-1957), the Finnish composer, said:
Pay no attention to what the critics say; no statue was ever put up to a critic. We do, however, listen to what our members say, and while we agree there is a need for us to organise some academic-style seminars, there is also a need for lectures with a more general approach. In the main, we feel we have got the mix about right and that our Society plays a useful role in its existing form.
To counterbalance the above criticism, may I add that during the past year we were delighted to receive (among others) the following bouquets from two members who have left Hong Kong. Rosemary Lee, comparing us with other organisations, wrote:
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