RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1987 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/rx919b522 Some time ago you published an obituary of Mr. K. M. A. Barnett (South China Morning Post, October 30). News of his sudden death must have saddened deeply his many friends and admirers in Hongkong. I should be grateful if you would add the following notes as a personal tribute to this remarkable man. His talent in so many fields never ceased to amaze me. This perhaps showed best in his brilliance as a linguist. Apart from his superb knowledge of the Chinese language, including several dialects, he was fluent in at least 20 other languages (I am not sure of the precise number) and even recently he was still adding new ones to his large repertoire. He used to say that after the first introduction to a new language it would take him a mere four to six weeks to gain a working knowledge. Ken Barnett's impact on the study and research in Hongkong history was immense and inspired many to follow his lead. As a scholar of local history, he injected imagination and vision, adding a new and exciting dimension to the subject. True, some of us among his followers did not always share his theories, perhaps because of our own shortcomings. He saw ancient Sung dynasty fortifications in the valleys of the New Territories, where we could see none; he discerned archaic Chinese writing in the patterns of Hongkong's ancient rock carvings, where we could see none. But who can be sure? The rock carvings are still a mystery and perhaps future researchers will prove Ken Barnett right. For him the richness and the fascination of Hongkong heritage lay in the New Territories. He was a great walker and knew every square inch of his beloved New Territories. Little escaped his keen eyes. He discovered old disused fields, ancient stone walls and a stone circle on Lamma Island which is still a mystery and is possibly the earliest man-made stone structure in the territory. The list is long. We first became friends before the war, as fellow-officers in the Volunteers. He was a gunner-officer, capable and resourceful, as with his other interests. ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1991 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/k356gt84j BUSINESS NETWORKS AND PATTERNS OF CANTONESE COMPRADORS AND MERCHANTS IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY HONG KONG* PUI TAK LEE To trace and account for the role of Cantonese in modern Chinese economic history is an interesting study topic. Actually, under what specific socio-economic and historical conditions did the Cantonese contribute to the formation of Chinese capitalism? Cantonese are outstanding in business not only in mainland China but also amongst overseas Chinese scattered around the world. The Cantonese were the earliest and largest group of Chinese to go to Southeast Asia. Moreover, in the 1850s, after the Taiping Rebellion, Chinese immigrated to Hong Kong or transited through Hong Kong to the west coast of North America and to Australia. This movement reached its peak in the 1880s. Overseas Chinese are always hardworking, hoping to save enough money to ensure them a good quality of life after they return to China. They usually accumulated capital and modern business know-how when they were in foreign countries and then returned to start their own business in China. An obvious example is the Australian Cantonese who started the first modern department store in Hong Kong, which marked a revolution in modern Chinese retailing business practice. Furthermore, the four biggest department stores in Shanghai were also opened by Cantonese, and all of them came from the Heung Shan (Zhongshan) prefecture, which is strategically located near Macau and Canton, the two centres of early European commerce in China. Simultaneously, in the mid-nineteenth century, Cantonese compradors from Zhongshan prefecture, namely Xu Run, Tang Tingshu, and Zheng Guanying, were pioneers in establishing modern Chinese businesses. This article will assess the mechanism of Cantonese immigration in the nineteenth century and also examine emigrant Cantonese business ethics. Emigration and Chinese Ethnic Groups Emigration from China gave rise to the concept of native place identity. Historically, Chinese have always distinguished their place of * The first annual lecture on local history, jointly organised by the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society & South China Research Circle, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, 10 December, 1994 ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1994 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/zk522640g 2 July 7 July 16 Sept 5 October 7 October 21 October 11 November 9 December 10 December 16 December Rescue Archaeology in Hong Kong Mr S.T Chin (This was combined with a visit to the Antiquities & Monuments Office) Anthony Lawrence Retrospective (This was combined with a dinner at the China Club) The Coming Man 19th Century American Perceptions of the Chinese. Professor Philip Choy and Professor Marion Hom The Lowson Diary A Record of the Early Phase of the Bubonic Epidemic in Hong Kong in 1894 Professor G H Choa Two lectures on Vietnam. Dr Norman Owen and Dr Patrick Hase Hong Kong's Wild Places - Changes through the Centuries Mr Edward Stokes Disappearing Trades and Artisans of Old Hong Kong Shanghailanders. Colonial Attitudes and Informal Empire 1843-1943. Dr. R.A. Bickers Business in China An Historical Perspective (Held jointly with the South China Research Circle at the University of Science and Technology) Competition and Organisation A Re-examination of Chinese Business Practices Professor Gary Hamilton 1995 20 January 13 February 8 March A Case Study of a Chinese Funeral Dr. Dan Waters Ajanta Cave Paintings Mr Benoy K Behl Ancient Monuments of Angkor Then Preservation and Future Dr Richard Engelhardt Some of the lecturers are here this evening as guests of the Society and I hope you will re-introduce yourselves to us, and members will welcome them in our midst. And on the subject of lectures and visits the Council is always very receptive to ideas - not only ideas but offers to lead a visit. Lectures and activities are not however the only areas for which the Society is well known. We again make our views known to the public, we publish an annual journal, and the next one is likely to appear shortly: we celebrate anniversaries, and we will be bringing out a 35th anniversary publication, edited by Dr. Elizabeth Sinn entitled "Villages" with many original contributions by local members. We hopefully provide an impetus ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1994 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/zk522640g 162 The South China Research Circle In 1988, a small group of scholars - historians, sociologists and anthropologists - founded the South China Research Circle which is now very much centred upon the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Among other things, it promotes the study of Hong Kong in the larger context of South China. In using Chinese (both Cantonese and Putonghua) rather than English as the main working language, it caters to the local community and scholars from Mainland China and Taiwan in a way the RAS has so far been unable to do. In this way, it fills a crucial gap. Drawing much of its strength from visiting scholars, the locally-based members remain small in number, but that does not prevent them from exerting their influence through their newsletter, journal and seminars. It is worth mentioning the Hong Kong History Society as well. While this society is interested in history in general rather than Hong Kong history, it does organize local visits to places of historical interest and has published. 1990s: Recent Developments School Curriculum Changes One of the major developments in the 1990s was the change in the school curriculum. Since 1994, Hong Kong history has been included in the A-level and AS level (matriculation level) History examination syllabus. Moreover, from 1998, Hong Kong history will also be taught at the lower secondary level (about 12-14 year olds), and here the local history element will be more conspicuous. We may foresee a rush of text books and other reference materials emerging to meet the demand of the thousands of students involved in the curriculum change. It is important to point out that teaching Hong Kong history at the secondary school level is only possible with a mature infrastructure based on the accumulated knowledge and understanding resulting from the research by several generations of scholars and the collective efforts of the various institutions. ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1996 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/3n209j641 21 September 27 September 12 October 2 November 9 November 30 November 7 December 1997 18 January 21 January 8 March Dinner at Police Training School. New Territories Mid-Autumn Festival Fire Lanterns Joint Seminar with the South China Research Circle and the Antiquities and Monuments Office The Future Kam Tin Heritage Trail The Defence of Leighton Hill During the 1941 Battle for Hong Kong. The 'Da Tsiu' Festival at Nga Tsin Wai Village, Kowloon. Art Treasures from Shanghai and Hong Kong A Guided Tour, University of Hong Kong Museum and Art Gallery. Views of the Pearl River Delta · Macau, Canton and Hong Kong, Exhibition held at Museum of Art Visit to Government House and the Legislative Council Building. Visit to Hop Yat Church, the Hong Kong Medical Science Museum and the Man Mo Temple. Visits outside Hong Kong 19-21 October Visit to Guangzhou and Whampoa 14-17 November Temple Tour of Central Taiwan. With 17 lectures and 16 visits it is not surprising if the odd person has been heard to say, probably partly tongue in cheek, that we have too many functions. The rubric would appear to be, however, how XV ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1998 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/1g05n0794 Appendix A Talks 28 March, 1998, 19th Century Government-led Education in Hong Kong by Drs Verner and Gillian Bickley. 29 March, Annual lectures in conjunction with South China Research Circle and the Antiquities and Monuments Office. 3 April, Prisons and Paparazzi-how three generations of one family survived Hong Kong 1930-97, by Kirsty Norman. 8 May, Identifying and Recording Hong Kong's Historical Gardens, by Bill Greaves and Bob Horsnell. 29 May, The East River Column with Special Reference to the Hong Kong and Kowloon Group, by S.J. Chan. 26 June, The History of the Hong Kong Film Archives, by Cynthia Liu. 7 August, Imperial Connection: Chinese Snuff Bottles by Humphrey Hui. 28 August, The Hungry Ghost Festival, presented by Elizabeth Sinn. 18 September, Conservation for Hong Kong Museums, by Paul Harrison. 30 October, An 18th Century Armenian Macau Merchant Prince, the Man and his Money, by the Reverend Carl Smith. 23 November, Archery Seminar led by Dr Charles Grayson and organised by Stephen Selby in conjunction with the Asian Traditional Archery Research Network. 11 December, Military Experiences in Hong Kong and Korea in the early 1950s, by Dr James Hayes, followed by dinner at the FCC. XX ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1999 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/s178b887x And yet in spite of all the publicity, there are some who still inform us, to their regret, that they lived in Hong Kong for many years before they heard about the RAS. One newly joined member told me that she worked in academia, in the Territory for 10 years before she heard. This puts the onus firmly on all members to spread the word. Please tell others. In more recent years new organisations have been established in Hong Kong which provide a certain amount of 'competition' (if that is the correct word). For instance, many young Chinese scholars now prefer to join the South China Research Circle, where most functions are conducted in the medium of Chinese. This is understandable. However, in spite of a number of 'new' societies having sprung up in Hong Kong in recent years, we like to think that our RAS Branch is rather special. We also like to think that we complement (rather than compete with) our sister institutions with which, I hasten to add, we are on splendid terms. Indeed our Branch has invited members from other institutions to its functions as they have invited us to attend their functions. We have also, in the past, conducted joint seminars together with the South China Research Circle. There are many societies with which we have contacts all of which we value. In some cases such organisations are mainly concerned with staging social functions, although, within a local or expatriate environment, quanxi (networking) is accepted as being important. Social functions do have a part to play. Publications Volume 38 of our Journal will shortly be published and, as a special Millennium and 40th Anniversary edition, it will be fitting for the occasion. In addition, we extend a vote of thanks to Dr Lauren Pfister and Josephine Wong, as well as the City Hall Library staff, especially Agnes Lee and Joseph Chan, for their hard work in preparing an extended and consolidated index for our annual journals. After a slight delay we were pleased that our new book, In the Heart of the Metropolis: Yaumatei and its People, was launched successfully in December 1999. We owe a big vote of thanks to Dr Patrick Hase, the editor, for a job well done. We also thank the many contributors, photographers, Joint Publishing (HK) Company Ltd, as well as the Chairman, David Ensor, member Ulana Switucha and other xiv Page 15 Page 16 ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-2003 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/2v242g390 Existing Honorary Members have all welcomed this change, and are happy with the change in title. It is Council's aim to extend the status of Honorary Fellow to two or three people every year, and I hope that an announcement of additional Honorary Fellows will be made to you within the next month or two. Council Our Programme Co-ordinator, Dr Janet Scott, is retiring shortly from Hong Kong, and has indicated that she will have to give up her position as Co-ordinator as from the middle of the year. I would like to take this opportunity of thanking her for all the huge amount of time and effort she has put into arranging the Programme over the last few years, and wish her the very best in her retirement. Council is actively considering who might take over the arduous post of Co-ordinator after Janet leaves, and will inform Members in due course when someone suitable has been found. During the year, Council co-opted a significant number of members, to broaden the base of Council's Membership, and to ensure that Council continues to have access to a wide range of experience and advice. Among those co-opted is Chan Kwok-shing, who represents on the Council our sister Society, the Chinese-language South China Research Circle. It is my very real hope that this will lead to continuing deep and close relations between the two Societies. I hope that soon there will be announcements in the Newsletter of joint events to be held with the Circle. Of those thus co-opted, Mr David McKellar has agreed to take over the role and position of Honorary Secretary of the Society, and I would recommend this to you all. I am glad to say, however, that Mr Peter Stuckey has agreed to remain on Council as a Member, subject to your agreement. Mr Robert Nield, our Vice-President and Honorary Treasurer, has asked to step down from his position as Honorary Treasurer, and to hand this over to Mr Philip Stockton, another of the newly co-opted Members, retaining his position as Vice-President, so that he can devote more time to the position of Vice-President. I recommend this change to you as well. All the others co-opted during the year Council proposes to co-opt again for this next year. I will shortly ask you to indicate your agreement with this proposal. ================================================================================