The Centre of Asian Studies was established in 1967 to promote interdisciplinary research on Asian topics within the University of Hong Kong and to serve as a focal point of contact for Asian studies scholars around the world. From 1 July 2009, CAS has been re-located from the Faculty of Social Sciences to the Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences to create greater synergy with the Institute so as to build a more robust platform for Asian and China studies within HKU. CAS shall continue under the Institute as a “brand name” to ensure the continuity of its name in view of CAS’s long history and reputation locally and internationally, especially among peers in the field of Asian studies.

 

The Centre’s three flagship programmes define the majority of our activities: the China-ASEAN Project, China-India Project and the Hong Kong Culture and Society Programme. Beyond these, Centre staff conduct research on Chinese entrepreneurship, migration and human trafficking, oral history, Asian business history, Chinese intellectual politics and the quality of life in Hong Kong and Macao.

 

In June 2009, CAS successfully applied for funding support from the RGC General Research Fund for two projects entitled, “Maritime Trade between Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, 1842-1939” and “Pre-modern Family Institutions and Origins of Implicit Contract in Japanese Corporate Culture: A Case Study of the Sumitomo Group”. Our other ongoing major projects include “Hong Kong Memory”, “Hong Kong as Financial Gateway for Taiwanese Enterprises”, “Entrepreneurial Families — the Rong, Gu and Ho Tung Business Dynasties”, “Locating Hong Kong in Global Networks of Professional Migrants”, “Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Oral History”, “Hong Kong Jockey Club History”, “Quality of Life in Macao” and “Development Planning and Strategy in Macao”. Whilst still strongly rooted in the tradition of pure academic research, the Centre has gained considerable experience in providing policy consultancies to the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Region Governments as well as other organisations. With our research capabilities in regional affairs and strong linkages with research institutes in the region, the Centre is well poised to contribute to advanced policy studies.

 

CAS continues to offer M.Phil. and Ph.D. studies to students wishing to research on Asian topics. In 2008-2009, four of our students who researched on irregular emigration from Fuzhou, Chinese new emigration waves, educational language politics of Malaysia and the importance of Chinese poetry in the literary space of Hong Kong, graduated. Eleven others are continuing their research in different Asian topics. We also contribute to undergraduate teaching through the conduct of broadening courses.

 

One of the aims and functions of CAS is to provide a focal point for the University of Hong Kong in Asian studies. The Centre is therefore designed to provide research support to the University’s and other Hong Kong scholars, as well as overseas scholars in the fields of China, Hong Kong and East/South/Southeast/Northeast Asian studies. Affiliates of the Centre include Distinguished Fellows, Centre Fellows, Honorary Research Fellows and Visiting Scholars.

 

Distinguished Fellows are renowned scholars who have made a unique pioneering and lasting contribution to the field of Asian studies. They are Professor Wang Gungwu, Professor Edward Chen and Professor Frank King. Centre Fellows are staff members of HKU who have declared their intention to undertake Asian studies research as “Centre Fellows”. Some of them have research grants registered at and administered by CAS; and they are provided research facilities and shared office/administrative services. Qualifying scholars undertaking research in Asian studies may be affiliated as Honorary Research Fellows. Where funds are provided, CAS administers their projects to the same extent as for Centre Fellows. CAS also welcomes academic visitors who wish, during their temporary professional visits to Hong Kong, to have an operating base and affiliation to a local academic institution. They are offered Visiting Scholar status and provided access to the University Libraries and Computer Centre. Shared office space may also be allocated to facilitate their research on a needs/rotation basis.

 

The Centre runs five seminar programmes, namely, Contemporary Chinese Studies, Traditional Chinese Studies, South and Southeast Asian Studies, Hong Kong Studies and Northeast Asian Studies. Our seminar programme series are essential to the Centre’s primary function as an interdisciplinary unit bringing together the staff and postgraduate students of the University. They aim to provide the necessary means to encourage group research, to attract an increasing number of scholars to Centre activities, to form a valuable link with the teaching function by enriching the courses offered, and to provide a continuing focus of interest for Centre Fellows. The activities of our seminar programmes are conducted through seminars, workshops and lectures by participants and visitors. They are also meant to augment the postgraduate teaching programmes in the University. Where appropriate CAS seeks to co-organise seminars with other academic departments and research units within HKU. Moreover, CAS provides an informal forum for visiting scholars, Centre Fellows and Honorary Research Fellows to present research in progress, receive feedback on their work, and learn about the work of their colleagues. We also hold postgraduate seminars regularly for students to share their research findings and to broaden their intellectual horizons through contact with other subjects, methodologies and ideas.

 

A small library consisting mainly of materials on contemporary China is operated by the Centre. This library is open for consultation by University staff and students, and accredited visitors. The collection housed in this library supplements other such collections in Hong Kong, such as those at the Hong Kong Collection of the HKU Main Library. The Centre also has collections of slides on the Lingnan School of Painting, Guangdong paintings and Chinese temples in Hong Kong, films of anthropological interest in Hong Kong, and tapes of Nanyin Cantonese Narrative Songs. These are available on loan for research purpose.