Fung Scholars Network Newsletter
M ay 2 0 1 8 April 2018
Message from Editors-in-Chief OUR 13TH ISSUE FOCUSES ON CULTURAL EXCHANGE—We as Fung Scholars come together from the opportunity of a different cultural experience enabled by the Fung Scholarship. As the Fung Scholars Network expands, more Fung Scholars from diverse backgrounds are on board. They are the individuals who can envisage worlds of active communication, worlds that are beautiful in their originality and diversity. Thus, we hope to celebrate cultural exchange and the numerous insights and opportunities that come with it. This issue looks into different cultural topics, from personal cultural experience and gender equality, to discussion on Shakespeare and Kun Opera, as well as cultural experience in Alibaba. Behind these perceptive articles on culture is the idea of sharing our own cultural journey with others in the community. We also gathered some reflective insights from Fung Scholars who attended the Leadership Conference 2017 in Hangzhou. Beyond a mere record of the event itself, writers talk about their respective interpretation of the theme “Innovation” against their own cultural background and vision of the future. Moreover, there are updates from local chapters of the Fung Scholars Network at Hong Kong, Australia and Beijing. The last part features details of the upcoming Leadership Conference in Hong Kong. This newsletter is made possible with the hard work and effort of the writers, editors and designers on the Editorial Board. We all hope that this newsletter provides you with some intriguing views and new perspectives on cultural exchange, innovation and sustainability in this globalized world. Lastly we would like to invite you to engage in the many exciting events and opportunities offered by the Fung Scholars Network, such as the ones featured in this newsletter. Find out more about the latest news and activities on the Fung Scholars website and connect with fellow Fung Scholars in this culturally-diverse community! Chloe Yuchen YAN (FS2017-18, The University of Tokyo) Jenni Hoi Yan WONG (FS2017-18, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)
Chloe Yuchen YAN
2 / NEW S L ET T ER
Jenni Hoi Yan WONG
CONTENTS Message from Editors-in-Chief
2
Foundation Updates
5 6
Fung Scholars Leadership Conference 2017 Embers Turn to Fire towards 2020 Sustainalympics at the 2017 Fung Scholars Leadership Conference
Kotoe KURODA
10
Reflection of the 2017 Fung Scholars Leader- Abraham Rui Zhi CHEE 12 ship Conference
Fung Scholars Community Hong Kong Chapter Australia Chapter Beijing Chapter
15 Sze Man WONG
16
Hannah CALDWELL
18
Joscelin YEUNG
22
Global Affairs Gender Equality Shakespeare and Tang Xian-zu: A Dialogue
23 Sze Man WONG
24
Hui-min WANG
26
Remarkable Moments My Journey in a Small Yet Diverse World
31 Tahira TAZREEN
32
Upcoming Events
34
Editorial Board
35
3 / NEWS LETTER
FOUNDATION UPDATES
FOUNDATIO
FUNG SCHOLARS LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2017 The Fung Scholars Leadership Conference 2017 was successfully held on 14-15 October 2017 in Hangzhou, China. The theme this year was “Innovation�. It was attended by over 100 Fung Scholars and Fung Fellows from different countries. The first day of the conference was held at the Zijingang Campus of Zhejiang University. The conference kicked off with welcoming remarks by Professor Lap-chee Tsui, President of Victor and William Fung Foundation and opening remarks by Professor Yonghua Song, Executive Vice-President of Zhejiang University, followed by a keynote speech from Dr. Victor Fung, Chairman of Victor and William Fung Foundation. The next session was a dialogue with Mr. Daniel Zhang, CEO of Alibaba Group, who shared some insights about the Alibaba business and his career, in response to questions from the moderator, Ms. Barbara Meynert, Board Member of the Foundation. The morning concluded with a Q & A session with Mr. Zhang, Dr. Fung and Professor Song.
6 / FO U N DAT I O N U PDAT E S
In the afternoon, the Fung Scholars visited the Alibaba Group Campus in Hangzhou to have a deeper understanding of the firm. The participants then traveled to the new International Campus of
Zhejiang University in the evening. The last event of the day was cultural performances by the talented Fung Scholars. On the second day morning, Dr. Lu Gang, Founder and CEO of TechNode was invited to share his entrepreneurship experience with the participants. Apart from Dr. Lu, four Fung Scholars, namely Mr. Raymond Huang (FS201112, Nanjing University), Founder and CEO of zhishiQ.com, Ms. Magdalena
ON UPDATES Kohut (FS2015-16, The University of Oxford), Restyle Lead, Conscious Layers, Ms. Yaki Wo (FS2007-08, The Chinese University of Hong Kong), Swap and Lead, Conscious Layers and Mr. Adam Knight (FS2012-13, The University of Oxford), Co-founder, Tong Digital, were also invited to share their real world experience of entrepreneurship in a start-up context and to respond to questions from the audience. The conference ended with an Idea Sharing Session by Mr. Zhaolei Shi (FF2012-13, Harvard University), who spoke about
his research and work on “China Rural Education Problem”, whilst Mr. Oliver Chan (FS2012-13, The Chinese University of Hong Kong) shared some ideas on a “Revolutionary Recruitment Assessment Process”, Ms. Jiaying Ding (FS2016-17, Harvard University) spoke about “Eldercare”, and Ms. Marie-Therese Png (FS2016-17, The University of Oxford) gave a talk on her research, titled “Technology Combining VR to Attenuate Racial Bias, and EEG Neurofeedback to Track Behavioural Change”.
Panel Discussion From left to right: Ms. Barbara Meynert, Board Member of Victor and William Fung Foundation, Mr. Daniel Zhang, CEO of Alibaba Group, Dr. Victor Fung, Chairman of Victor and William Fung Foundation, Professor Yonghua Song, Executive Vice-President of Zhejiang University. 7 / FOUNDATI ON UPDATES
FOUNDATIO
Alibaba Visit
Entrepreneurship Sharing by Fung Scholars and Guest Speakers (From left to right: Mr. KM Wong, Director of Victor and William Fung Foundation, Mr. Raymond Huang (FS2011-12, Nanjing University), Founder and CEO of zhishiQ.com, Mr. Adam Knight (FS2012-13, The University of Oxford), Co-founder, Tong Digital, Ms. Magdalena Kohut (FS2015-16, The University of Oxford), Restyle Lead, Conscious Layers, and Ms. Yaki Wo (FS2007-08, The Chinese University of Hong Kong), Swap and Lead, Conscious Layers, Dr. Gang Lu, Founder and CEO, TechNode.
8 / FO U N DAT I O N U PDAT E S
ON UPDATES Dr. Gang Lu, CEO and Founder, Technode
Mr. Zhaolei Shi (FS2012-13, Harvard University) spoke about his research and work on “China Rural Education Problem”.
Ms. Jiaying Ding (FS2016-17, Harvard University) talked about “Eldercare”.
Mr. Oliver Chan (FS2012-13, The Chinese University of Hong Kong) shared his ideas on a “Revolutionary Recruitment Assessment Process”.
Ms. Marie-Therese Png (FS2016-17, The University of Oxford) gave a talk on her research, titled “Technology Combining VR to Attenuate Racial Bias, and EEG Neurofeedback to Track Behavioural Change”.
9 / FOUNDATI ON UPDATES
FOUNDATIO
EMBERS TURN TO FIRE TOWARDS 2020
SUSTAINALYMPICS AT THE 2017 FUNG SCHOLARS LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE by Kotoe KURODA When I received the final call to attend this year’s Fung Scholars Leadership Conference, the passion I held for the “Sustainalympics” project was fading into embers. But conference details convinced me that this opportunity would help me get out of this situation so I applied. Thankfully, I was able to attend and now I am feeling the flames growing stronger in my heart. As you have probably guessed, Sustainalympics = Sustainable + Olympics/Paralympics. The project was formed when members of Climate Youth Japan (climate change youth NGO) heard that the sustainability aspect of the Tokyo 2020 Games was falling behind, despite the fact that Tokyo was promoting a compact and environmentally friendly Games during the host city bid. Initially we planned to 10 / FO UN DAT I O N U PDAT E S
make statements and gather petitions to improve the hard components of Tokyo 2020 such as ensuring that sustainably sourced wood were used in construction. However, we faced a lack of specialist knowledge, and the Olympics Committee bureaucracy discouraged us. A year after starting the project, I could not see where we were heading. Changing the setting, the weekend at the Leadership Conference in Hangzhou, China was packed with inspirational speeches from Dr. Victor Fung, Chairman of Victor and William Fung Foundation with his expertise in the business and trading sector, Professor Lap-chee Tsui, President of Victor and William Fung Foundation with experience in research and education, Mr. Daniel Zhang, CEO of Alibaba Group, and many young innovators, most of whom were Fung Scholars.
ON UPDATES
past year working on Sustainalympics Furthermore, we visited the Alibaba Group Campus and interacted with oth- was not a waste. To get the project going, I started spending more time er Fung Scholars. to communicate with other members, There were much more but here are the and now I am preparing a presentation take home learning I got. I have learned on our newly defined Sustainalympics concept for 2020. Our new concept is that you can solve a problem if you keep your eyes open in daily life. If you to leave a youth legacy where young people visualise their own future and are stuck with a complicated problem, cut it up into pieces. Then, think about start taking action to make the desired the resources available and recombine future come true. Although we may not change the hard parts of the Games, them to see how you can change the we are going to encourage fellow current system. While trying to find a youths to take action. solution, listen to others, keep learning, and as Dr. Fung said, “be more human”. Don’t be afraid to take risks #Sustainalympics to share your future because failure comes with success. vision or any youth action towards a sustainable world. After the conference, my mindset changed and now I am thinking that the
11 / FOUNDATI ON UPDATES
FOUNDATIO
REFLECTION OF THE FUNG SCHOLARS LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2017 by Abraham Rui Zhi CHEE
With Innovation as the theme for the Fung Scholars Leadership Conference 2017, Hangzhou, an innovative city in China with a vibrant start-up scene, was selected as the host city. In fact, Hangzhou is home to the world’s largest e-commerce company in the world, Alibaba (阿里巴巴). The conference kicked off with an insightful speech by Dr. Victor Fung, who elucidated on the topic of innovation. Of the many thought provoking points raised, I particularly like three points: (1) growing 12 / FO UN DAT I O N U PDAT E S
opportunity because of middle class’s population growth amongst emerging markets, (2) the importance of possessing the ability to disaggregate complex problems and generate fixes, and (3) listening hard to manage better. The dialogue with the CEO of Alibaba, Mr. Daniel Zhang, offered a comprehensive understanding about the mission of the company, which is to empower everyone to do business. A recent initiative by Alibaba involves the acquisition of Her-ma (盒马), a supermarket chain
ON UPDATES
in China, enabling the company to redefine existing retail format. Mr. Zhang believes that “the offline world needs to go digital” so as to attain “a new retail [experience]”, where a “harmonious integration of the offline and online” exists. “Omnichannel” best summarizes such integration, accomplishing a smooth switch between online and offline channels. Mr. Zhang also highlighted the next entry point to the internet as the human voice, specifically, voice technology. During my stay in China, I utilized Baidu (百度) mobile application, and I was amazed at how easy it was to navigate directions just by using my vocal cords.
In the afternoon, Fung Scholars visited the Alibaba campus in Hangzhou to discover the firm’s lines of businesses, dashboard and cloud computing capabilities. For instance, Alibaba’s cloud technology is well equipped to detect abnormalities in new product listings and on-going negotiations on a real-time basis. Automated alerts will then be generated to prompt Alibaba’s staff for further investigations.
Before the conference concluded on the second day, Fung Scholars shared their entrepreneurial experiences and current research interests. It was enlightening to learn about interesting business models, entrepreneurial journeys, and cutting-edge researches. I am confident that fellow Fung Scholars who participated in this year’s conference gained a new perspective of what innovation truly means.
13 / FOUNDATI ON UPDATES
FUNG SCHOLARS COMMUNITY
FUNG SCHOLAR
iFUNG X’MAS 2017 HONG KONG CHAPTER
On 16th December 2017, iFung X’mas was successfully held with immense support from Victor and William Fung Foundation and the Fung Scholars Hong Kong Chapter Christmas Party Organizing Committee 2017 in Lai Chi Kok. More than 50 Fung Scholars (FS) signed up for the Christmas Party. This year the organizers raised awareness of environmentally-friendly issues again by asking participants to bring reusable cutleries. They even put more emphasis on sustainability when com16 / F U N G S CHO LA RS CO M M U N I TY
by Sze Man WONG
pared to the Christmas party held in 2016 by asking the participants to bring DIY or recycled present for the gift-exchange session. All the participants loved the name of our Christmas party “iFung X’mas 2017” as it associates with the big prize iPhone X. The perfect partners, Gigi Au-yeung (FS2008-09, Hong Kong Polytechnic University) and Arcturus TAM (AT) (FS2013-14, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), are the MCs for the Christmas party for another
RS COMMUNITY year. During the interview with AT, he said that it was his honour to work with Gigi as they knew each other very well. They used their best endeavours to make every party unforgettable. They felt rewarding when they received positive feedback from the participants. The participants were divided into four groups. There were a few sessions during the Christmas party, namely, networking, ice-breaking, drawing, singing, Christmas present exchange and photo-taking. Some participants were stunned by the extraordinary voice of the Fung Scholars who performed. The organizing committee also organized some new games this year. The
participants were asked to guess respective Fung Scholars when the MCs described their special facial features. The fascinating party ended with the delicious Christmas cake made by Giselle Yeung (FS 2013-14, Hong Kong Baptist University). 20 Fung Scholars later joined the Christmas dinner at Rustico, a Spanish restaurant in Lai Chi Kok. Christmas is a good time to meet with friends, family and the beloved ones. iFung X’mas 2017 provided a good platform to gather Fung Scholars and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The participants were immersed in the joyful atmosphere. Come and join our next Christmas party and dinner!
17 / FUNG SCH OLA RS COMMUNITY
FUNG SCHOLAR
DIALOGUE IN THE DARK AND BRUNCH AUSTRALIA CHAPTER We began the Fung Scholars Australia Chapter’s first event in September 2017 by meeting for brunch at La Petite Creperie, a popular French restaurant in the Central Business District in Melbourne. Melbourne is a very “foodie” city that offers a vast array of international cuisines and new restaurants and cafes pop up around the city all the time. Meeting for brunch is a typical Melbourne weekend activity and you are spoilt for choices. This restaurant was chosen by Henry Pun (FS201213, The University of Massachusetts Amherst), who is studying cookery in Melbourne. The food in the restaurant lived up to the hype! The crêpes were delicious. The aim of this brunch was to get to know each other and discuss future plans for the local chapter. We shared our experiences of the Fung Scholarship which had given us the opportunity to see a new part of the world and to open up ourselves to a different way of life at a new place. It was great to hear about everyone’s different experiences and how it had shaped the paths they have taken now. None of us was originally from Australia, so it was also interesting to share our reasons for moving here.
by Hannah CALDWELL
Founding members of Australia Chapter From left to right: Henry Pun (FS2012-13, The University of Massachusetts Amherst), Ms. Hannah Caldwell (FS2012-13, The University of Oxford), Dorothy Mak (FS2007-08, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University) and Tom Coxon (FS201112, The University of Oxford)
Australia Chapter grow, and we talked about our ideas for the local chapter and what people would like to get from it.
After getting to know each other over coffee and crêpes, we headed to Docklands to take part in the Dialogue in the Dark experience. Dialogue in the Dark is a sensory journey set in total darkness. Participants step out of their comfort zone and take on the challenges of a bustling, simulated Melbourne in the dark. We were instructed by our guide to remove anything that emitted light (e.g. watches, phones etc.) and We are all keen to see the Fung Scholars place them in lockers to ensure that we 18 / F U N G S CHO LA RS CO M M U N I TY
RS COMMUNITY could not see anything at all in the dark to experience sensing our everyday world, rather than seeing it.
continent! It was fascinating hearing about everyone’s different experiences through the support of Fung Scholarship, their backgrounds in different After navigating a variety of settings countries and fields of study, and what including a park, the MCG Sports stadi- had brought them to Australia. Over um, a tram carriage, and a kitchen set- brunch, we discussed ideas for what ting, we sat down with our guide who we might be able to do in the future to shared his experience of navigating the develop the network here. The Dialogue city as a blind person. It was an incred- in the Dark experience encouraged us ible and enlightening experience. We all to think about the challenges for blind had a lot of food for thought and a new people in a city like Melbourne. It inperspective of the city. spired us to think about how we could contribute to the society through taking The inaugural Fung Scholars Australia initiatives, which is something we will Chapter event allowed us to connect explore further in future events. with other Fung Scholars who have come to Australia to think about how we can grow a Chapter here on this
Tom Coxon (FS 2011-12, The University of Oxford) practising his knowledge of Braille with a special typewriter before being plunged into darkness. 19 / FUNG SCH OLA RS COMMUNITY
FUNG SCHOLAR
NEW YEAR GATHERING AROUND THE GLOBE IN 60 MINUTES AUSTRALIA CHAPTER
In January 2018, the Fung Scholars Australia Chapter went to see a performance of a play about Shakespearean England, held in a pop-up replica of the Globe theatre where Shakespeare’s plays were performed in Melbourne. We then had lunch at a popular ramen restaurant in the city to share our thoughts and ideas about the performance afterwards. We chose these two activities to achieve the aim of promoting cultural exchange between the East and the West. We decided to host this meeting in January 2018 to gather Fung Scholars to share our plans and ambitions for the new year, achieve our goal of hosting activities quarterly to build a stronger network, and encourage other Fung Scholars coming to Australia to join a regular series of events. 20 / F U N G S CHO LA RS CO M M U N I TY
by Hannah CALDWELL
We met at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, where a temporary replica of the Globe theatre in London, United Kingdom had been constructed in the summer. The aim was to share the magic of Shakespeare, and we felt this spirit of cultural exchange fitted well with the aims of the Fung Scholarship. We chose to see a fictional play, based on the history of the Globe theatre, called Around the Globe in 60 minutes as this provided an easily accessible and entertaining insight into the world of theatres in Shakespeare’s time. The pop-up Globe is the world’s first full-scale temporary working replica of one of the greatest theatres in history. It has been a popular summer attraction in Melbourne. A wide range of perfor-
RS COMMUNITY mances of well-known Shakespeare’s plays took place at the pop-up Globe throughout the summer. We all enjoyed the performance, and learnt about the history of Shakespeare’s period, as well as experienced a style of performance similar to the traditional British pantomime, which is popular around Christmas time in the United Kingdom. After the performance, we went to the Central Business District to discuss what we thought of it over lunch. We went to Hakata Gensuke for chicken ramen to match our theme of the East/ West cultural exchange. We chose this restaurant as it is popular in the city. The founder secured the title of Ultimate Ramen Champion in 2011 and 2012, and in 2015 it was awarded the ‘Best Bang for Bucks’ award by Time Out Melbourne.
more Fung Scholars might be arriving to study in Australia. This event encouraged the Fung Scholars’ spirit of cultural exchange, by combining elements of the Eastern and Western culture. We learnt about the history and culture of Shakespearean England, and watched a traditional British performance, with Australian cultural references thrown in. Having lunch at a ramen restaurant provided us with an opportunity to discuss the performance and share our views on the play, talk more broadly about the topic of our multi-cultural experience in Melbourne, and develop a deeper understanding of Melbourne’s cultural scene.
It was a great chance to strengthen the bonds within the Fung Scholars network, which we hope that this will build a strong foundation and encourage We discussed what we thought of the more Fung Scholars to join us when performance and talked about the his- they arrive in Australia. Meeting at the tory and theatres in different countries. start of the new year was also a great We also caught up on how everyone chance to spark ideas for events for the had been since our last meeting in Sep- rest of the year, especially when new tember 2017, what everyone had done Fung Scholars begin their studies here over the Christmas holidays, and what with the start of a new academic year. our plans for the new year were. Before We look forward to organizing our next leaving, we talked about what we might event soon! do for our next meeting, and when
21 / FUNG SCH OLA RS COMMUNITY
FUNG SCHOLA
WELCOME DRINKS BEIJING CHAPTER The Fung Scholars Beijing Chapter Welcome Drinks was held on 23 September 2017 at a Mexican restaurant in central Beijing. 20 Fung Scholars attended the event. The aim of the event was to welcome new Fung Scholars in Beijing and connect them with both present Fung Scholars and alumni. It was also a pre-departure event for the participants of the Fung Scholars Leadership Conference in Hangzhou to mingle. During the event, the Fung Scholars had an opportunity to get connected with one another and built friendships with each other. We started with a round of self-introduction, about our personal profiles,
22 / F U N G S CHO LA RS CO M M U N I TY
by Joscelin YEUNG whether we were working or studying, and when we received the Fung Scholarship. A lot of us were still studying and a few of us were working. The Fung Scholars who came to the event expressed their joy in joining such an event as they said there were only a few similar events in the past years in Beijing. Many of them said it would be great to hold another networking event in the near future to interact with other Fung Scholars. They also knew more about the Fung Scholars’ community and what kind of activities the Foundation sponsors. We also encouraged them to come up with new activity proposals and keep in touch with each other.
GLOBAL AFFAIRS
GLOBAL
GENDER EQUALITY by Sze Man WONG Background: Within this decade, gender equality arouses increasing attention. Out of 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, gender equality ranked fifth at a historic United Nations Summit in 2015. Nations worldwide strive to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. On the 8th day of March each year, people around the world celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) which originates in 1909 in New York. Moreover, the Gender Pay Gap Report was released in 2017. It brings people’s attention to the pay gap between male and female in different countries. Despite persistent efforts in recent years, some countries seem to have not put an end to macho culture and gender-based violence. International Women’s Day: International Women’s Day is celebrated annually around the world with arts performances, talks, rallies, networking events, conferences and marches. In England, numerous universities and cities took partin celebrating the festival. This year, people in Manchester commemorated women’s rights to vote for one hundred years. The University of Manchester invited two alumni who worked in the social media field to give talks on women’s rights. The Manchester Metropolitan University 24 / GLO B A L A F FA I RS
Talk at the Univeristy of Manchester on 8/3/2018
also organized feminist writing workshops and exhibitions in Sylvia’s sisters series. People’s History Museum held tours and exhibitions about women’s independence movements. There are various celebrations in England. Gender Pay Gap Report: The Gender Pay Gap Report benchmarks 144 countries on their progress towards gender parity across four thematic dimensions: 1) economic participation and opportunity, 2) educational attainment, 3) health and survival, and 4) political empowerment. In the 2017 edition, it also analyzes the dynamics of gender gaps across different industries, talent pools and occupations. Gender parity shifted into reverse in 2017 for the first time since the World Economic Forum started measuring it globally. Iceland, Norway and Finland ranked top three, while China ranked 100th .
AFFAIRS
Conclusion: Gender Equality is drawing increasing attention worldwide within this decade. Respective governments could implement laws and measures to promote gender equality in the society. Everybody could also contribute in their daily lives through promoting the message of gender equality through various social media. It is everyone’s responsibility to promote the values of gender equality.
Writing Together: Feminist Practices in Academic Writing, workshop, including reading “Nine Women Reading on a Beach” at The Manchester Metropolitan University
25/ GLOB A L AF FAIRS
GLOBAL
SHAKESPEARE AND TANG XIAN - ZU: A DIALOGUE by Hui-min WANG Interviewee: Prof. Ros KING, Professor of English at the University of Southampton, also a theatre director, dramaturg, musicia and editor of early modern texts. Hui-ling YANG, Assistant Professor at Xiamen University, expert in Kun Opera. Interviewer: Hui-min Wang
Professor Ros King
26 / GLO B A L A F FA I RS
Professor Hui-lingYang
AFFAIRS Introduction
needs, that is to say both the emoWhen the Globe Theatre was staging tional and physioRomeo and Juliet of Shakespeare in logical needs like 1594, Chinese audiences were enjoying air and water, my a similar story called The Peony Pavilanswer is definitely ion by Tang Xianzu. Coming from strikyes. Shakespeare ingly different countries and cultures, and Tang Xian-zu the two playwrights who produced both lived around these roughly contemporary dramatic the same time and works nevertheless share some simiboth their plays larities. These similarities enable us to have survived but in different ways. I conduct a discussion about the prosuppose one of the successful things tection of and innovation in the fields they represent, that is to say, traditional about Shakespeare is that his plays have been performed in different ways drama and opera. and across different cultures over the past centuries whereas the performancWhat is the influence of Shakespeare in es of Kun Opera have not seen that contemporary world? level of change and adaptation. In EnKing: Shakespeare speaks to the mogland, Shakespeare is being performed ment and people’s concerns. When it very differently from four hundred years comes to important cultural moments, for example during Brexit, performanc- ago, it is also being performed, again very differently, in Thailand, Vietnam, es of Julius Caesar become prevalent Russian, Estonia and Kashmir. The in a distressed British nation because performance history of Kun Opera still the play is about making a decisive remains highly static. So that is the big choice. difference. Shakespeare’s plays reflect the scenarios of his times, and still contemWhat’s your opinion of the adaptation of porary people can explore and derive meanings from his plays, and from that Shakespeare’s plays into the form of Kun Opera? construct their own meanings. I think that plays have their own charm, which Yang: Adapting foreign works is actuemerges from the possibility of different ally a process of sinicization. The more localized, the more successful. In terms interpretations. of script adaptation, character backgrounds and the context of events must Given the differences between the two art be reformulated with Chinese charforms, drama and opera, are Tang Xianacteristics in mind. Besides this, the zu’s Kun Operas comparable to Shakecostume, choreography, singing, and speare’s plays and in what ways are they lighting etc. should be in accord with comparable? the principles of traditional Chinese King: Based on our common human opera. The essence of Kun Opera is the 27/ GLOB A L AF FAIRS
GLOBAL
water-grinding-cadence tone of singing and virtual stylized dance. Without the essence of Kun opera, cross-cultural interpretation of Shakespeare’s plays would be a failure.
King: It is great to see plays performed against the backdrop of a different culture. It is very interesting to see a play you are well acquainted with, performed in a different style with different concerns. And that is true of a number of Japanese, Russian, etc. productions of Shakespeare. The Soviet adaptations of Hamlet and King Lear are both tremendous interpretations of the play. I would not necessarily agree with their interpretations but in a way they are immensely powerful and thought-provoking, and are reflective of cultural and political concerns. Overall, each production is made within its own context of production, and reflects the culture within that context.
the culture in an historical period or he simply invents the setting of an island in the middle of nowhere. In The Tempest, he talks about contemporary politics, culture and history under the disguise of a remote setting. Moreover, he cares about social responsibilities between government and people, i.e. the social contract. And that social contract, like the moral and ethical issues he also deals with, can be manifested in many different ways in different periods of time. Generally speaking, he tends to discuss the flourishing of humanity, how humans can best survive and thrive. Do we need to protect culture? King: I don’t think you can protect culture. Valuable cultures will in themselves attract re-interpretations. We are culturally different than we were four hundred years ago.
Yang: Theoretically I agree with you. However, the development process of Kun Opera is extremely complicated and it cannot afford to be ignored without protection. First, Kun Opera is the product of an agricultural civilization. Nowadays, great changes have come about in society, and we have diverse forms of entertainment, an increasingly fast-paced life, and aesthetic vulgarity. As a consequence, the environment What are the themes that appear repeatedly conducive to Kun Opera has disapin Shakespeare’s plays? peared. Secondly, during the Cultural King: Shakespeare deals with moral Revolution (1966-1976), traditional and political issues. He is clearly think- opera was banned, and Chinese peoing about the political climate and culple were deprived of the performances ture of his own time but he cannot do it of Kun Opera. Finally, I believe that the safely so he talks about the climate and environment in which the continuation 28 / GLO B A L A F FA I RS
AFFAIRS
traditional Kun Opera plays but it would be limiting if we stick to only tradition without making changes. I think finding ways to realize that tradition in modern performance is important. You can find ways to enable modern audiences to experience similar thrills by watching the performance without using long silk sleeves. That would be an interesting project to work on.
of Kun Opera culture would have been possible has disappeared, so it is necessary to protect Kun Opera. If left to fend for itself, the consequences could well be the extinction of this valuable cultural heritage. Possible suggestions for revitalizing traditional operas in the contemporary world. King: People take risks with Shakespeare and I would recommend Kun Opera directors take risks too. It would be useful to know the performance tradition but still you need to think about how to adapt the performance to today’s world. We cannot pretend the audience is the same audience that existed four hundred years ago. I would hope that some performances should take a more radical approach, and look for the emotions applicable to now in these texts. I would be delighted to see
Yang: Priority should be given to the protection of Kun Opera. First, efforts are needed to ensure the passing on of the outstanding tradition of the “Chuan� generation artists, namely restoring the traditional plays and passing on basic skills to younger generations. Only under the premise of retaining the essence of traditional art can further innovation be made possible. Outstanding operas should meet three conditions: (1) in terms of staging, artists should pursue excellence and elegance; (2) in terms of music, artists should retain the elegance and beauty of the music; (3) in terms of text, writers should borrow the story of the past and recontextualise it within the present context, including localizing it within the relevant culture. To sum up, innovation should not become the fig leaf of incompetence.
29/ GLOB A L AF FAIRS
REMARKABLE MOMENTS
REMARKABL My Journey in a Small Yet Diverse World by Tahira TAZREEN Being a student in an international university is a life full of laughter. Meeting friends from 16 different countries, I have immersed myself in the magnificent beauty of multiculturalism throughout these 5 years of university life in Asian University for Women. Yet, it was not easy at the beginning for me - mixing strangely with completely different languages in my ears, experiencing very distinct food culture, seeing bizarre costumes around the campus - I have neither expected or welcomed such a diverse background. As time went by, I learned about the importance of appreciating the differences among different cultures. It was also an unforgettable experience for me to understand the significance of sharing the history of our own community, country, culture, and religion. As my journey as a student of Asian University for Women has almost come to the end, it is time for me to look back and recall these wonderful memories I had in this small yet diversified territory with a countless variety of cultures. The first and most interesting thing that comes to my mind is language. Being a citizen of a small country like Bangladesh where most if not all people speak in Bangla, I have never thought of meeting people who speak in languages entirely different from ours. Nonetheless, in Asian University for Women, I was surrounded with people from different countries and regions who vividly expressed their ideas in languages like Hindi, Urdu, Nepalese, Sinhalese, Tamil, Arabic, Vietnamese, Persian, Cambodian, Indonesian, Malay alam, just to name a few. Guess what, I once counted the number
32 / R EM A R KA B L E M OM E N TS
LE MOMENTS of people in a same lift with me and I was amazed that there were 6 people from 3 different countries speaking in their own languages respectively. I must admit that we had a difficult time to cope with this situation in the beginning. Eventually, we adapt very well by not only mastering English quickly as a tool of communication, but we were also excited to learn new and interesting words from each other. Moving on, we also learned a few songs and recited poems in different languages on stage. One of my most amazing experiences was to wear the traditional dresses of the other country. Certainly, we felt awkward or at times weird as well, but we were definitely joyful to discover ourselves in a different outfit and learn from other cultures. It’s a small world after all. This story of our small world was not just about fun, but also portrays the tales of sacrifice, our willingness to accept differences, and the compromises we made all over the journey. At times, it was very hard to break the ice and come out of the comfort zone like children, but our unity and perseverance save our days. With our struggle and enjoyment, we created our own small world of happiness, sharing and caring, which in turn nurtured us to be a global citizen. In our evening chat, we may have some fun moments laughing at different languages, we enjoy this vibrant enjoyment and fascinating beauty of cultural sharing. This is definitely the best privilege we could enjoy from this university with students from 16 different countries.
33 / REM A RKA B L E MO MENTS
UPCOMING EVENTS Fung Scholars Leadership Conference 2018 6 – 7 October 2018 Hong Kong Theme: Innovation AI? Not AI?
Editorial Board
Jenni Hoi Yan WONG Project-in-charge
Jenni (FS2017-18, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) is a third year undergraduate student majoring in Operations Management and Information Systems. She was awarded the Fung Scholarship for her exchange semester at The University of Manchester. The support of the scholarship provided her with a rewarding experience of exploration and cultural immersion. Last year she had been a student civic fellow with a local NGO promoting community cultural exchange. She had also interned at Hong Kong Disneyland. Jenni develops her passion for drama and musical in university and has engaged in several productions. She also enjoys volunteering, reading, swimming and hiking.
Chloe (FS 2017-18, The University of Tokyo) was awarded the Fung Scholarship for her exchange at Princeton University. She majors in Japan and East Asian Studies and conducts her research in English, Japanese and Chinese.
Chloe Yuchen YAN Project-in-charge
With her wide-ranging academic interests and international experience, she has also studied in Stanford University, the Australian National University, and National Taiwan University for shortterm exchanges, on such topics as International Law and International Relations. For program concentration, she worked on Global Economy and Management. Chloe is a violin player for over 10 years, and she loves going to concerts, watching movies, and reading and writing in her spare time.
3 5 / E D I TO R I AL BOARD
Yunyi (FS 2007-08, Nanjing University) graduated in 2008 with a BA in Chinese Literature. She spent one semester at The University of Hong Kong as a Fung Scholar, from then on, she continued to pursue her graduate degrees in the United States and received a M.A. Degree in Film Studies from Columbia University, and a M.S. Degree in Human Computer Interactions from DePaul University. Currently Yunyi works as a user experience designer in Chicago.
Yunyi WANG Designer
Carol CHOI Editor
3 6 / EDITO R IAL BOAR D
In her spare time, she enjoys reading, watching movies, practicing Yoga, and working on her website www. wangyunyi.com
Carol (FS2012-13, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) graduated from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2014 with a Bachelor Degree in Business. Thanks to the support of Fung Scholarship, she spent a semester at New York University as an exchange student and had the exciting opportunity to live in Manhattan. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree, she attended law school at The University of Hong Kong as a Juris Doctor student. She is currently a Trainee Solicitor at a law firm in Hong Kong. She enjoys trying different restaurants, hiking and travelling.
Chui-Joe (FS 2015-16, The University of Oxford) is a second-year Master’s student studying East Asian history and languages at The University of Oxford. In 2015, as an undergraduate, she was awarded the Fung Scholarship to participate in the three-week International Youth Leadership Programme organized by Beijing Normal University.
Chui-Joe THAM Editor
Tahira TAZREEN Editor & Writer
Tahira (FS2014-15, Asian University for Women) is currently doing her undergraduate in Economics at Asian University for Women, Chittagong, Bangladesh. She was born and brought up in the same city where she is studying now. Tahira has been actively participating in various volunteer activities from the very beginning of her school life since she joined Bangladesh Girl Guides Association, and has continued doing that throughout her university life. She has been teaching children in community school as a member of Community Teacher’s Club of her university. Besides, she has also worked with visually impaired children of Chittagong while working as a member of a volunteer organization. Tahira is an active member of “Project Humans of AUW”, where she, along with other group members, takes interview from AUW community, and post it in the facebook. Apart of her work, Tahira loves travelling and singing a lot!
3 7 / E D I TO R I AL BOARD
Hannah (FS2012-13, The University of Oxford) was awarded the Fung Scholarship in 2012 to teach English at YK Pau Primary School in Shanghai. She studied French and History at the University of Oxford and continues to pursue her love of languages studying Mandarin in her spare time. After graduating, she joined PwC as a Management Consultant in London, where she helped establish the Fung Scholars London Chapter. She relocated to Melbourne last year and founded the Australia Fung Scholars Chapter.
Hannah CALDWELL Writer
Abraham Rui Zhi CHEE Writer
3 8 / EDITO R IAL BOAR D
Abraham (FS2015-16, National University of Singapore) enjoys exploring new places around the world. He will be joining J.P. Morgan as a full time analyst later this year. Abraham has lived in major cities such as Seattle, Seoul, Singapore, and London. He was the Co-Founder and President of Strategos, an interest group promoting financial literacy to residents in Tembusu College, a residential college situated at the National University of Singapore. During his spare time, Abraham can be found visiting art museums, planning itineraries for an upcoming trip and practicing twentieth century piano pieces.
Kotoe KURODA Writer
Kotoe (FS2016-17, The University of Tokyo) spent her university years studying environmental science and was awarded the Fung Scholarship in 2016 to spend a semester studying at Pontificial Catholic University of Chile. Her experience in Chile, especially the volunteer work which she wrote about in the Fung Scholar’s Newsletter Edition 11 (2017), made her realise that she wanted to contribute to a sustainable society by transferring civil engineering technology to developing countries. After graduation, Kotoe interned at an UN Environment office working on marine issues and recently started working at a construction consultant company in Tokyo. kotoe.kuro@gmail.com
John (FS 2016-17, Hong Kong Baptist University) is a degree graduate from Broadcast Journalism concentration with double minors in English Language and Literature and Business.
John Tze Fung POON Writer
During his studies, he founded several media organizations in his high school and university. He also produced international broadcast news stories across three different continents (Asia, Europe, North America), including Taiwanese General Election 2016, US Election 2016 and policies in London. With rich journalism experience and international exposure, he has great network with local and international officials in different aspects like diplomacy, legislation and public affairs. John has diversified interests and strengths in different fields, apart from journalism and international relations, he is also capable and interested in English literature, computer programming and designing, He also enjoyed watching British and American dramas and reality shows during his leisure time.
3 9 / E D I TO R I AL BOARD
Joscelin (FS2014-15, Hong Kong Baptist University) was awarded the Fung Scholarship for her semester exchange at University of Kent in the UK. She has a background in international relations and graduated from her master’s degree in Public Management and Governance in LSE last year. With her keen interest in advocating for gender equality, she recently finished an internship with UN Women in Beijing and initiated a meeting with fellow Fung Scholars. She is also a keen public speaker and has a love for tea appreciation.
Joscelin YEUNG Writer
Hui-min WANG Writer
4 0 / EDITO R IAL BOAR D
Hui-min (FS2016-17, Xiamen University), is a final year undergraduate student majoring in English language and literature at Xiamen University, China. Having received the Fung Scholarship in 2016, she came to The University of Hong Kong as an exchange student. Before that, she went to Tibet as a voluntary teacher in the summer of 2015. Besides literature, she is fond of running, swimming, and traveling. Joining the Fung Scholar Family prepared her to be a global citizen and a future leader.
Thanks to the support of Victor and William Fung Foundation, Sze Man (FS 2017-18, Lingnan University) is now having a semester exchange at University of Stirling in United Kingdom. She is a third year Translation student at Lingnan University. She is passionate about community, books and travel.
Sze Man WONG Writer
4 1 / E D I TO R I AL BOARD
May 2 0 1 8
w w w. Fu ngScho lars .o rg