Foreword

The Year of the Horse ushers in the 30th anniversary of the founding of City University of Hong Kong (CityU). In just thirty years, CityU has risen from its early beginnings as a small polytechnic to become a world-class university. We are now widely known for our excellence in professional education and remarkable problem-driven research, and for our emphasis on the “integration of teaching and research”.

The quality of a university lies with its great masters; and the greatness of a master lies with his/her spirit. While funding and facilities help advance technology over a short period, the cultivation of the spirit and culture cannot be attained in such a short span of time. A university without a solid cultural foundation will be surpassed by its competitors, which is why the development of a university depends on its own spirit and culture.

The art of calligraphy is a unique treasure in Chinese culture. Calligraphers create their own mode of artistic expression by making use of different strokes, thin or bold, introducing a vivid perception of every Chinese character, embodying a process of concentration, examination and deliberation as well as a process of integrating perceptual art with rational creation. Ever since ancient times many successful people have adopted calligraphy as a way to cultivate self-restraint and express their innermost convictions. “The poetry of both the Tang and Song dynasties and the opera of the Yuan Dynasty” (referred to as “Tang poems, Song poetry and Yuan opera” later for short) are looked upon as the high point of Chinese classical literature. Taking these as the theme of calligraphy, the calligraphers will produce work that incorporates the phonological charm and conceptual beauty of both literature and calligraphy.

“Science and Art: Calligraphy Exhibition by Renowned Academicians and Scholars” will be launched on 25 March in both the art gallery and the library at CityU. Proposed by Professor Way Kuo, University President, who is a Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering as well as a member of Academia Sinica and the US National Academy of Engineering, the event is blessed with the support from outstanding academicians and scholars from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

About 100 calligraphic works by these distinguished academicians and scholars will be on display. The participating academicians and scholars are all experts in different academic fields as well as remarkable artists with a solid grounding in traditional Chinese culture. The participants include (from mainland China) Academician Pan Yunhe, Academician He Jishan and Academician Xie Heping (Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering); (from Hong Kong) Professor Ambrose King Yeo-chi, Academician of Academia Sinica, Xu Yangsheng, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Professor Cheng Pei-kai from CityU’s Chinese Civilisation Centre; (from Taiwan) Professor Fu Hu, Professor Wang Fan-sen and Professor King-Ning Tu (Academicians of Academia Sinica).

These scholars are good role models. They are highly competent in both the liberal arts and science, and well versed in both Chinese and Western learnings. And we feel extremely honoured to have received an inscription with the words “calligraphic script of Tang poems, Song poetry and Yuan opera” written in his own hand by Eminent Chinese Scholar Prof. Jao Tsung-i.

These academicians and scholars have helped to cultivate the artistic temperament of CityU students, setting first-rate examples for promoting students’ cultural education by displaying their beautiful works of calligraphy. Aiming to “inspire people with classical culture, enlighten people with traditional paintings and calligraphy and set an example for people by using good role models with high competence in liberal arts and science”, we hope this event will inspire students to find a few cognitive clues for better appreciating culture and art.

We also hope this event will narrow the gap between traditional culture and modern-day students and promote their interest in broadening their knowledge, improving their artistic taste and cultivating their cultural appreciation through the University’s Gateway Education courses and library resources. In this way we hope they will heighten their competitiveness in their future careers.

Immediately after the opening ceremony, we will hold a focus forum entitled “Calligraphy and Science: From Skill to Art”. By listening to the talks by Professor Way Kuo and other academicians, we can learn to appreciate the truth, goodness and beauty derived from the integration of science and art.

The translations of those academicians’ calligraphic works are listed in the book to increase students’ interest and help them better understand the essence of classical Chinese literature. A detailed index has been compiled to facilitate the students in their reading and comprehension.