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ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY HONG KONG BRANCH
PRESIDENT'S REPORT FOR 1990/91
Members who attended last year's Annual General Meeting and the dinner that followed will remember with pleasure that the latter was attended by our patron, the Governor of Hong Kong, His Excellency, Sir David Wilson. It was a singularly happy occasion in which at a speech at the dinner Sir David, a notable scholar on Chinese affairs and culture, wished he could be plain Dr. Wilson again. He said he appreciated the good work done by the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society and that the Journal had built up an established place in scholarly circles; the visits and talks programmes did a great deal to inform members and their friends about Hong Kong. He went on to say there were two kinds of overseas resident. Those who never bothered much about their surroundings and could, if they wished, live a hotel type of existence and the other kind to which our members belonged, i.e. those who were always curious about the local scene, and wished to know more about it. The Society was largely founded on the great British tradition of scholar-officials and such persons had contributed much to the study of Asia. He recognised, however, that changes were in the air and was pleased to know that there was now a significant local element in the membership of the Society and in the organisation of its activities.
That evening, however, also saw another significant event, and I refer of course to the stepping down of Dr. James Hayes as President of the Society, in view of his departure to Australia, although I am more than pleased to see that he has returned temporarily and is here this evening. It is difficult to tabulate briefly what James has done for the Society, from the moment he joined soon after its revival in 1959, and later as a permanent office bearer: he was Editor of the Journal for fourteen years, Vice-President since 1970 and then President as from 1983. His scholarly contributions to the Journal are there in our publications to read: many of us have benefited from his knowledge and expertise on the many exhausting excursions he led in Hong Kong. In brief he epitomised everything the Royal Asiatic Society in Hong Kong stood for and we all miss his wise counsel.
With those events in mind it is with some trepidation therefore I stand before you to report on the Society's activities during my first
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Page &
ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY HONG KONG BRANCH
PRESIDENT'S REPORT FOR 1990/91
Members who attended last year's Annual General Meeting and the dinner that followed will remember with pleasure that the latter was attended by our patron, the Governor of Hong Kong, His Excellency, Sir David Wilson. It was a singularly happy occasion in which at a speech at the dinner Sir David, a notable scholar on Chinese affairs and culture, wished he could be plain Dr. Wilson again. He said he appreciated the good work done by the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society and that the Journal had built up an established place in scholarly circles; the visits and talks programmes did a great deal to inform members and their friends about Hong Kong. He went on to say there were two kinds of overseas resident. Those who never bothered much about their surroundings and could, if they wished, live a hotel type of existence and the other kind to which our members belonged, i.e. those who were always curious about the local scene, and wished to know more about it. The Society was largely founded on the great British tradition of scholar-officials and such persons had contributed much to the study of Asia. He recognised, however, that changes were in the air and was pleased to know that there was now a significant local element in the membership of the Society and in the organisation of its activities.
That evening, however, also saw another significant event, and I refer of course to the stepping down of Dr. James Hayes as President of the Society, in view of his departure to Australia, although I am more than pleased to see that he has returned temporarily and is here this evening. It is difficult to tabulate briefly what James has done for the Society, from the moment he joined soon after its revival in 1959, and later as a permanent office bearer: he was Editor of the Journal for fourteen years, Vice-President since 1970 and then President as from 1983. His scholarly contributions to the Journal are there in our publications to read: many of us have benefited from his knowledge and expertise on the many exhausting excursions he led in Hong Kong. In brief he epitomised everything the Royal Asiatic Society in Hong Kong stood for and we all miss his wise counsel.
With those events in mind it is with some trepidation therefore I stand before you to report on the Society's activities during my first
vii
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