Inspiring Seminars (2025)

(1) Inspiring Seminar: 江湖與政治：從袍哥觀察中國的秘密社會

書院啟發講座邀請王笛教授探討袍哥這一秘密社團在中國歷史與社會中的作用。通過微觀視角，分析其在權力結構和社會關係中的影響，揭示江湖文化與政治之間的複雜互動，深入理解這些秘密社會如何影響過去的社會，提供對中國歷史新的解讀。

袍哥是指四川的哥老會成員袍哥會。袍哥會是清末民國時期四川地區（主要為今川渝）、雲南、貴州盛行的一種民間幫會組織，曾是四川的民間秘密組織。根據歷史學家王笛教授研究，參與袍哥的人不僅有當地的知識分子、軍隊人士、政府官員，還有社會底層的農民、乞丐、苦力、做小生意的人等。他們日常使用隱語和暗號交流，遵循一套自定的教義規則，形成了一個具有一致身份認同的江湖聯盟。

日期 Date: 2月19日 Feb 19 (Wed.)
時間 Time: 1:00pm – 2:00pm
地點 Venue: W21 – G015
主講 Speaker: 王笛教授 Prof. Di WANG (FAH)
語言 Language: 普通話 Mandarin

(2) Inspiring Seminar – 澳門東南亞華人飲食文化及生存策略: 以緬甸華人為例 The Culinary Culture and Survival Strategies of Southeast Asian Chinese in Macau: The Case of Myanmar Chinese

日期 Date: 3月19日 19 Mar (Wednesday)
時間 Time: 1:00pm to 2:00pm
地點 Venue: W21 – G015
主講 Speaker: Dr. Hio Ieong CHE (FSS)
語言 Language: 中文 Chinese

(3) Inspiring Seminar: 萬里華夏：探索中國大地的多元性格 The Tapestry of China: Understanding the Diverse Regional Characters

本講座旨在深入剖析中國不同區域人群的性格特點，幫助同學們理解各地區人民的文化內涵與行為模式，從而促進更和諧的人際互動與交流。

一方水土養一方人，中國作為多省、多民族的國家，各地區因獨特的歷史背景、地理環境與文化傳統，孕育出各具特色的區域性格。這些差異不僅豐富了當代社會的多樣性，也為我們的日常生活、工作與學習增添了無限活力。在全球化與多元化的當今社會，與來自不同地域的人們接觸已成為常態。若能在交往之初，對各地區人群的思維方式、生活習慣及文化特質有初步了解，將顯著提升人際交往的效率與品質。本講座將從人類學、社會學及心理學等多學科視角，嘗試分析中國區域性格的形成與表現，探討風俗習慣、儀式行為及價值觀變遷如何塑造各地區人民的獨特性格。

通過本講座，同學們將更全面地認識不同區域的文化特質，拓展自身視野，並在理解他人的同時更深入地認識自我。

日期 Date: 9月3日 3 Sep (Wed.)
時間 Time: 13:00pm to 14:00pm
地點 Venue: W21 – G015
主講 Speaker: 梁靜姮講師 Dr. Leong, Cheng Hang
語言 Language: 普通話 Mandarin

(4) Inspiring Seminar – Sowing the seeds of cooperation: A economics-genetics study on the drivers of cooperation behaviour

This talk explores how our genes and culture might work together to shape the way we cooperate with others, using the tools of experimental and behavioural economics. We focus on a particular gene, called DRD4, which affects how the brain processes rewards and social cues. In our study, over a thousand university students across China took part in a simple cooperation game, where they could choose how much to contribute to a common pool that benefits everyone. We found that people carrying a specific version of DRD4—known as the “2-repeat”—tended to be more generous than others. This result held even after taking into account other personality traits, genetic factors, and regional differences. To see if these patterns also appear in everyday life, we combined our results with data from a large national survey. We discovered that in provinces where rice farming has been historically dominant, the presence of this DRD4 variant is linked to more charitable giving, helping strangers, and being seen as cooperative. Our findings suggest that genes and long-standing cultural practices may have evolved together to encourage cooperation in certain environments.

日期 Date: 9月10日 10 Sep (Wed.)
時間 Time: 1:00pm to 2:00pm
地點 Venue: W21 – G015
主講 Speaker: 朱章元教授 Prof. Lawrence CHOO (FSS)

(5) Inspiring Seminar – 西方脫鉤是中國崛起的歷史機遇 Western Decoupling as a Historic Opportunity for China’s Rise

Having long championed neoliberal globalization and free trade, the United States and the West in general are retreating from this position. The US-led West is instead practicing a policy of economic decoupling, especially from China and Russia. No doubt, this poses an enormous challenge to China’s ongoing rise. What is less recognized, however, is that this also presents a historic opportunity. My argument is based on a historical precedent: the rise of the West and the emergence of the Western-dominated world order were in part stimulated by another case of economic decoupling in the past: the disruption of the Silk Road by the Ottoman Empire in the second half of the 15^th century. By imposing trade barriers between Europe and the East, this disruption forced European powers to seek alternative trading routes and led to Western colonization of the Global South and the rise of the West. Today, the trade barriers erected by the West and the United States in particular may similarly accelerate China’s rise. What is different is that, as evidenced by the Belt and Road Initiative and the increasing influence of the BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the nature of relationship between China and the Global South today is much more cooperative and mutually benef

日期 Date: 9月17日 17 Sep (Wed.)
時間 Time: 13:00pm to 14:00pm
地點 Venue: W21 – G015
主講 Speaker: 潘成鑫教授 Prof. Chengxin PAN
語言 Language: 普通話 Mandarin