Symposium on Folk Documents and the South China Studies

Abstract

[evdate 1993-01-04] THE HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Clear Water Bay Kowloon Hong Kong. Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Chia-Wei Woo, BS, MA, PhD

For immediate release 4 January 1993

SYMPOSIUM ON FOLK DOCUMENTS AND THE SOUTH CHINA STUDIES

"Not only official documents, but also folk documents, including account books, family genealogy, bulletins, letters, contracts, folk songs, folk tales, opera scripts, and, note books can be used for research in China Studies, " remarked Dr Choi Chi-cheung, lecturer in Humanities at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).

The Division of Humanities of HKUST will present a symposium on "Folk Documents and the South China Studies" from 6-7 January 93. Prof Hong Hsu, Head of the Division of Humanities, added, "The Symposium seeks to draw public attention and thereby encourage people to preserve and donate folk documents for academic purposes."

Participants include scholars from Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, U.S.A., Canada and UK . Their fields of study include social history and anthropology of South China, HK and the Macau region.

Dr Choi hopes that the Symposium will inaugurate a series of future symposie on South China studies. He said, "The first symposium aims to present a grand view on folk documents and the whole of South China. The theme for the second symposium next year will be 'Family lineage and local societies in South China'. It will present the basic social structure in families and in their lineage."

Both of Dr Hsu and Dr Choi expressed the wish that this series of symposie will eventually lead to the establishment of a Centre for South China Studies. Thus it is closely related to the teaching and research programmes in the Division of Humanities in HKUST.

The South China Research Circle, the Division of Humanities of HKUST, and the Department of Anthropology of the Hong Kong Chinese University are jointly organising a post-symposium programme. There will be a field trip to Tai 0 on 8 January, and a visit to the Public Records Office of HK Government on 9 January. A round table discussion workshop will be held in Canton from 10-13 January 93.

Please direct enquiries to MS Mary Lau 358 6306, or 1163388 call 2651 Attached is the programme of the Symposium

Symposium on "Folk documents and the South China studies" Programme January 6, 1993 (Wednesday) 8:30-930 Registration . r e 1.9:00-10:15 Opening ceremony Qpening address Hong HSU (HKUST) Keynote diaioguc "South China studies: between history and anthropology" David FAURE (Oxford) & ?Ielen S&J (Yale) 10:15-10:45 Coffee break' ' 2. 10:45-12:45 Session 1 Pamily, Lineage and society Chairperson: CHEN Chi-nan (CUHK) Discuss,ant: TO Wing-kai (UC, Davis) "Wills and the Chincsc in Hong Kong" Carl SMITH "Study of a Guangdong Mei xian family" "Ha&a gcncalogics and northern Fujian" LAU Yet-cheung (CUHK) CHEN Zhi-ping (Xiamen) "Foshan at the end of the Ming dynasty: study of the Li gcncalogy" LUO Yi-xing (GDA)

12:45-14%) Lunch break . . . 3. 14:00-16:00 Session 2 Rural society and organization Chairperson: David FAUREZ (Oxford) Discussant: WONG Wing-ho (UC, Davis) . "Women history and iural h&tory: examples frpm writ&n and ijon-written sources" YIP Hon-ming (CUHK) "Witnesses: wonicn's role in hand transaction" @OI Chi-cheung (HKUST) "Village ziutbnomy: Shawan in the beginning of the Republican period" LIU Zhi-wci

(Zhongsh,an) "Study of the Filial Daughter Society in Xi xian, Anhui" ZHENG Li-min (AHAS) 16:00-16:15 Tea break 4. 16:15-l&00 Session 3 hlferchants and voluntary associations Chairperson: Hong HSU (HKUST) . . . ' . Discussant: CHIU Peng-sheng (NTU) "Account books and merchants' culture" . . * ' -* HAMASHITA Takeshi (Tokyo) "Overseas ventures of Chincsc merchants: a study of documents in the Nngas$i Fujian

Association" YAMAOKA Yuka (Koshien) "Hong Kong society as seen from bulletins of fellow clansmen associations" Elizabeth Sinn (HKU) 2

. i * January 7, 1993 (Thursday) . _- 1 5. 9:00-lo:45 Session 4 Culture and fradition I: folk songs Cl&person: SUENARI Michio (Tokyo) Discussant: LIU Tik-sang (Pittsburg) "Chaozhou song books and the society of Chaozhoti and Shantau" CHEN Chun-shcng (Zhongsh,an) "Traditional women ritual songs in xural Hong Kong" CHAN Wing-hoi "Bamboo clapper songs and the New Tenitorics of Hong Kong" Patnct HASE 10:45- 11:oo . Coffee brertk 6. ll:OO-12:45 Session 5 Culture and tradition 2: legends and theater Chairperson: CHAN Zhi-ping (Xiamen) Discussant: CHAN Wing-hoi "Folk kdcs and local society" UEDA Mokodo (Likyo) "Cantonese ritual operas scripts and improvisation" I . Cl-MN Shou-yan (CUHK) 12:45-1490 Lunch break i-L -- 7. 14:00-15:45 Session 6 Religion and beliefs Chairperson: HAMASHITA T'akeshi (Tokyo) Discussant: L&ng Chor-on (Cambridge) "Temple inscriptions and folk cults in Fujian" ZHENG Zhcn-man (Xiamen) . "History and memory through temple inscriptions and anecdotal writings: notes on territorial

cults and folk beliefs in the Pearl River delta" TO Wing&i (UC, Davis) "Taoist manads and local &It&" Kenneth DEAN (McGill) IS;4516:00 Tea break 8. 16:00-17:30 Se&n 7 Comparison: North and south * Chairperson: CHAN Chun-sheng (Zhongshan) Discus.sant: WU Mi-cha (NTU) ;. "Folk art and ideology in northern Shaanxi-province" FUKAO Yoko (Osaka Gaida) "Characteristics of folk documents in Vietnam" SUENARI hlichio (Tokyo) . 9. 17:30-18:OO ConcIuding session Closing address y CHEN Chi-nan (CUHK)