It is proposed to establish a "Centre for Hong Kong Prehistory" as a centre of academic activity within the University. The Centre would promote research and multi-disciplinary cooperation; begin to build up a computer database; and invite local, mainland and overseas specialists to address issues in Hong Kong prehistory.
The Centre's activity would include research in:
1) the prehistoric and protohistoric human occupation of the territory, from the earliest known (ca. 5000 BC) to the end of the Ming dynasty at 1644 A.D.A core group of University scholars, plus several from other universities, have expressed support for the Centre. All scholars of the University and from other institutions would be welcome to affiliate. An honorary director would be selected to manage the Centre's activities. At a later stage, it is hoped that the Centre can develop with full-time staff, premises and equipment -- to be funded by a private donation or endowment.
2) the Late Pleistocene and Holocene terrestrial and marine environment of Hong Kong during the last 50,000 years.
The study of Hong Kong's ancient environment and human occupation began in the early decades of this century when geologists began to consider the formative processes of mainly the coastal landforms. In the late 1920's one of these geologists discovered Neolithic stone artifacts in the New Territories. This incipient investigation of Hong Kong's prehistory was given a tremendous boost when two scholars from the University became actively involved in the early 1930's. Prof. J.M. Shellshear of the Anatomy Dept. and Fr. D. Finn, a lecturer in the Geography Dept., are now counted among the pioneers of Hong Kong archaeology.
In the early 1950's, Prof. S.G. Davis of the Dept of Geography and Geology formed a group of amateur archaeologists who investigated two sites on Lamma. The discovery of a Han dynasty tomb at Lei Cheng Uk in 1955 brought Prof. F.S. Drake of the Chinese Dept. into the field to direct the excavation of the tomb. One year later, a University Archaeological Team was formed, based at the Fung Ping Shan Museum and assisted by Miss Mary Tregear. In 1967, the Team was disbanded to form the Hong Kong Archaeological Society and Prof. Davis was its first chairman, succeeded in 1972 by Dr. S.M. Bard of the University Health Service. In 1984, Dr. T. N. Chiu of the Dept of Geography and Geology was elected chairman of the Society, and he was succeeded by Mr William Meacham of the Centre of Asian Studies. Hong Kong geomorphology, paleo-environment and historical geography were also the subject of numerous studies by scholars in the University, from Prof. Davis and Mr. L. Berry in the early days to Profs. Brian Morton and Ron Hill, Drs. T.N. Chiu, Richard Corlett, Richard Irving, Albert So, and W.S. Yim more recently. The Centre of Asian Studies has also sponsored major international conferences on the paleo-environment of East Asia, which included several local studies.
This very brief background sketch demonstrates nonetheless the active involvement of scholars at the University in archaeological and paleo-environmental researches since their beginnings in Hong Kong, and the leading role played by the University in this field of research.
Public interest in Hong Kong's past has grown markedly in recent years. The Education Dept for example has moved with a surprising sense of purpose and speed to introduce Hong Kong studies including prehistory into the secondary school curriculum. The response from teachers has been very favourable in recognizing the educational value of including archaeological and paleo-environmental discoveries as part of history and geography. Aside from being a "hands-on" topic of great interest to students, this field of study enriches their appreciation of the development of society, of man-land relationships and of the urgent need for heritage and environmental conservation. The Chinese University of Hong Kong has given considerable support to its archaeological unit, which has developed over the last 10 years ago into a well-equipped centre with five full-time staff today. The mass media regularly gives significant coverage to archaeological excavations, and the reporting frequently focuses on the methodology and tedious work involved in the extraction of scientific data from the ground. Exhibitions on various aspects of Hong Kong's prehistory have drawn large numbers of visitors at the Hong Kong Museum of History and the Antiquities and Monuments Office. Finally, 1997-8 was designated as "Heritage Year" by the Government, and numerous activities have been designed to enhance public awareness of Hong Kong's past.
The proposed Centre would promote interest, research and interaction by scholars in relevant disciplines. In addition to traditional lines of archaeological endeavour, the Centre would encourage research on paleo-environmental subjects relevant to the human occupation. Examples of the latter are : the work of Morton (1978a,b) on shell remains, and the ecological and topographic evolution of the site at Sham Wan, Lamma; Chan (1978) on fish remains from Sham Wan, spawning patterns and probable fishing strategies; Corlett (forthcoming) on pollen and plant remains from Penny's Bay, Lantau, and inferences on the ancient vegetation of the area.
Specialists from China and overseas with expertise not available here would be invited to Hong Kong for research and seminars; archaeologists and other scientists from Guangdong would be invited for discussions and sharing of information, technology and methodology.
Three working groups are envisaged initially:
Lectures, seminars and conferences would be organized, and perhaps field trips for University staff and students to sites where important discoveries have been made. A web page would be created and updated from time to time on Hong Kong's prehistory and related research. An occasional newsletter may also be published. Finally, if private funding can be found, the "Southeast Asian Archaeology Newsletter" (distributed in 1995-96 by Vanderbilt University and currently in limbo) could be revived and expanded to include South China.
A Centre such as outlined above would promote interest and scholarly investigation into aspects of local prehistory, and it would highlight the University's important role in research into Hong Kong's early environment and human occupation.
Name Department Area of relevant expertise L.Y. Chiu Chinese history Richard Corlett Ecology Biodiversity botany Grant Evans Sociology anthropology K.W. Fung Chinese history Ron Hill Ecology Biodiversity human geography Adam Lui History history William Meacham Asian Studies archaeology Brian Morton Ecology Biodiversity zoology Richard Shutler Simon Fraser Univ. archaeology Tony Sweeting Curriculum Studies education Geoff Wade Asian Studies history Wang Wenjian Fine Arts archaeology William Wang City University of HK linguistics
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