1October 2007

Application-oriented scientist honoured by world-class award!

Victor FungEditor-in-Chief

No one perhaps understands better the potential benefits of plasma application research towards mankind than Professor (Chair) Paul Chu Kim-ho of the Department of Physics and Materials Science. He has led

his team in developing dozens of plasma-improved applications in biomedical and industrial fields such as ceramic materials for an artificial pelvis, materials for artificial heart valves, blood vessel stents and the nickel-titanium (NiTi) alloy, which is already undergoing clinical trials and has been implanted into a patient for long-term observation for the first time in the world. Professor Chu was recently given the 2007 IEEE / NPSS Merit Award for his outstanding contributions in nuclear and plasma sciences worldwide (page 10).

The same commitment to application research is shared by Dr Cheng Sheung-tak, Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Social Sciences, who has conducted research on the therapeutic effects of mahjong for senile dementia. On the basis of encouraging initial results, Dr Cheng plans to integrate biological technology to the study looking at the relationship between DNA and the health benefits of playing mahjong, for which he has secured more than $1 m funding in the 2007-08 Competitive Earmarked Research Grant. He will also incorporate the impact of Tai-chi into the study for the first time (page 22).

Professor (Chair) Benjamin T’sou Ka-yin, Director of the Language Information Science Research Centre, has his major research interest in language information sciences. He and his research team have spent the last few years studying the creation and development of new terms and analyzing linguistic changes, as well as assessing the cultural and social changes behind the lexical development (page 26).

The University’s commitment in applied research and its achievements are showcased by other innovative projects as well as the international awards or recognition its academics and students have received (page 7-9).

In the same issue, we have invited Professor (Chair) Wang Guiguo, the new Dean of the School of Law, to talk about his plans to lead the school to a new level and to promote teaching and research so as to develop in students an international outlook (page 16).

The new semester started with an announcement from the Acting President, Professor Richard Ho Yan-ki, of University Council’s approval of plans to bring back 112 colleagues deployed to the Community College of City University to work mainly on top-up programmes at the School of Continuing and Professional Education. This decision was hailed as a well-balanced and win-win arrangement to all parties concerned. At the same time, the School of Graduate Studies has been named Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies in appreciation of Dr Chow Yei Ching’s contribution to education and support for the development of CityU’s graduate studies (page 5).

CityU’s Council has approved plans to bring back the 112 colleagues deployed

to Community College of City University (CCCU), by transferring them to

work mainly on top-up programmes at the School of Continuing and Professional

Education (SCOPE).

Professor Richard Ho Yan-ki, Acting President,

says the staff concerned can retain continuous

employment at CityU on superannuable terms with

this arrangement, which actualizes the University’s

commitment towards the substantiation system. At

the same time, the move will solve the outstanding

deployment issue with a financially viable plan

that will relieve the University of a heavy financial

burden.

Under this arrangement, SCOPE will benefit by

having experienced staff to develop its top-up

programmes, while CCCU will operate with a

clean slate when it goes completely self-financing

from 1 July 2008, the same date the staff members are to be deployed to SCOPE.

The University sees this as a well-balanced, win-win arrangement to all parties

concerned and an opportunity to realign the focus of CCCU and SCOPE, which

will benefit the University in the long run.

The colleagues who choose to return to work at SCOPE will have the

opportunity to receive retraining and development. For those colleagues who do

not wish to return to work at the University, they can choose early retirement

with ex-gratia payment. They then can apply to work at CCCU on contract

terms, at CCCU management’s discretion.

CCCU colleagues welcomed home

Professor Richard Ho, Acting President

opportunity to receive retraining and development. For those colleagues who do

not wish to return to work at the University, they can choose early retirement

with ex-gratia payment. They then can apply to work at CCCU on contract

terms, at CCCU management’s discretion.

4 October 2007

In appreciation of Dr Chow Yei Ching’s contributions to education and support

for the development of CityU’s graduate studies, the School of Graduate

Studies has now been named Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies, The

announcement was made at a ceremony held at the “Dialogue with Dr Chow Yei

Ching cum Thanksgiving Party” on 24 August.

During the sharing session, Dr Chow, the Founder and Chairman of the Chevalier

Group, shared his success story and thoughts on education and careers with

postgraduate students, alumni and staff. He encouraged young people to enrich

themselves by nurturing the qualities of diligence, sincerity and self-discipline to

better prepare themselves for future challenges and advised them to do their best

to achieve their goals and to increase their competitiveness by preparing themselves

well.

Dr Chow also emphasized the importance of inner qualities and character. He said

young people should not only acquire knowledge and skills but also pay attention to

the cultivation of high moral character, which would benefit their whole life.

Dr Chow is active in charitable events and has supported the development of

universities in Hong Kong, including CityU, and on the mainland. He said he was

only giving back what he had taken from the community, and that education would

help nurture great leaders and excellent professionals for the future.

Dr Chow Yei-ching shares his success in an interview by alumni

Dr Bryan Wong and Miss Virginia Chiu.

(From left) Professor Roderick Wong, Dr Chow Yei-ching, Mr Chung

Shui-ming and Professor Richard Ho announce the renaming of

the School of Graduate Studies to the Chow Yei-ching School of

Graduate Studies.

Naming of Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies

5October 2007

School of Law has taken the initiative to incorporate mainland placements into the

credit-bearing curriculum of the Bachelor of Laws (Honours) degree programme, allowing 19 CityU law students to study the Chinese legal system at Renmin University dur ing the past summer. During the study tour, the students visited many institutions and gained work exper ience at the People’s Court in Xianwu and Haidian districts in Beijing.

CityU is the first and only local university to introduce this pioneer ing placement programme, which helps broaden students’ views and enhance their learning.

Freshmen were warmly welcomed to CityU in a series of welcoming

ceremonies organized by Student Development Services under the

theme “Change begins in CityU – From student to professional” on 24

August and from 28 to 30 August.

Professor Richard Ho Yan-ki, Acting President, said that a university was

a place to make dreams come true and encouraged the new students to

take every opportunity to transform themselves into professionals and to

develop a global mindset in order to cope with the needs and challenges

of the future. Professor Ho welcomed them to the big family on behalf

of the University. He also reminded them that their future development

should focus not only within Hong Kong but globally.

Professor Richard Ho Yan-ki, Acting President (fifth from the

right); the senior management team and representatives from

various departments attend the welcoming ceremony.

Acting President urges new students to get prepared for changes at welcoming ceremonies

SLW initiates Hong Kong’s first-evercredit-bearing mainland placement programme

SLW takes the initiative to incorporate mainland

placements into the credit-bearing curriculum of the

Bachelor of Laws (Honours) degree programme.

6 October 2007

CityU invited to co-host NGO forum on rehabilitation services

More than 130 scholar s,

NGO representatives and

members of the Correctional

Services Depar tment met at

Ci tyU to d i scus s the soc i a l

capital concept and Hong Kong’s

rehabilitation services at an NGO

forum co-organized by CityU’

s Department of Applied Social

Studies and the Government’s

Correctional Services Department

on 12 September.

The forum examined how the concept of social capital helps rehabilitants to be accepted

by society in relation to social networking, care and trust within a society and the

participation of social groups. It also revisited the current strategies based on the social

capital concept employed by the Correctional Services Department.

Off-campus SCM Graduation Show 2007

NGOs representing different races and religions join

the forum.

Officiating guests look around the exhibition.

Creative media students opened their first ever off-campus Graduation Show with an exhibition of short movies, animation,

photography and interactive media at MegaBox in Kowloon Bay on 20 August. It provided more people in Hong Kong with a

chance to experience the fun of creative media first-hand and to interact with innovative projects that combined technology and media.

The theme for this year’s Graduation Show is “In[s]pirit”, meaning inspiration

is within and people can transform creative ideas into art through different

media channels.

NGO i diff d li i j i

7October 2007

着

Innovative CityU products showcased at Innovation Expo

20 innovat ive projects developed by

CityU academics and students in the

Faculty of Science and Engineering, School

of Creative Media, and Language Information

Sciences Research Centre were exhibited

at the Innovation Expo 07 organized by the

Innovation and Technology Commission

b e tween 14 and 18 S ep t embe r. The s e

innovations are closely related to our daily life

and demonstrate how innovative technologies

can improve the quality of people’s lives.

Mr Wong Hon-yee, Director of the Technology

Transfer Office, said that CityU always strove for excellence in applied research and this

Expo was a good opportunity to showcase the results of our applied research in science

and technology. It enhanced CityU’s cooperation with industry and let the general public

gain a better understanding of CityU.”

Dr Andy Chun Hon-wai, Associate Professor of Computer

Science Department, received the Innovative Applications of AI

Award for the artificial intelligence system he designed for streamlining

immigration-related processes. Given by the Association for the

Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, this is the only world-renowned

award for applied research in the field.

Tommy Yang Guomin, a Computer Science PhD student, has been

offered an international scholar ship by the

International Information Systems Secur ity

Certification Consortium, in recognition of

his cryptography research into digital signature

schemes that helps to improve security for

online transactions in e-commerce. He is

one of eight awardees worldwide and

the only one from Hong Kong to

receive the award this year.

Outstanding CS academic and student win international accolades

CityU showcases research achievements at

Innovation Expo 2007.

Tommy Yang Guomin

ent

Dr Andy Chun Hon-wai

offered an

Internati

Certifica

his crypto

schem

onli

8 October 2007

Professor (Chair) Roderick Wong Sue-cheun, Vice-

President (Research) and Dean of Graduate Studies, has

been elected member of the European Academy of Sciences where he joins an elite

group of scientists including Nobel Laureates and Fields Medalists.

The European Academy of Sciences is a non-profit, non-governmental independent

organization of the most distinguished scholars and engineers performing forefront

research and the development of advanced technologies, united by a commitment

to promoting science and technology and their essential roles in fostering social and

economic development.

Distinguished academic receives coveted professional membership

Dr Sia Choon-ling, Associate Professor in the Department of

Information Systems, together with Senior Research Assistant

Ms Cindy Cheung Man-yee and Professor Chen Huaping and Mr

Luo Chuan of the University of Science and Technology of China,

clinched the Best Paper Award at the 11th Pacific Asia Conference

on Information Systems. The conference is a premier information

systems event in the Asia Pacific region sponsored by the Association

for Information Systems. The award-winning paper, entitled “How

do People Evaluate Electronic Word-Of-Mouth? Informational and

Normative Based Determinants of Perceived Credibility of Online

Consumer Recommendations in China”, analyzes how readers

respond to online consumer recommendations.

Colour Play — Tong King Sum’s Sculpture and Jet Print Exhibition

Venue : CityU Gallery

:

Time : 10:00 am to 7:00 pm Daily

:

18/9-19/10

Upcoming events

CityU experts acclaimed for outstanding IS papers

Dr Sia Choon-ling (centre), Ms Cindy Cheung Man-

yee (left) and Mr Luo Chuan

9October 2007

October 200710

Developing

for society’s well-being

By Longgen Chen

plasma technology

October 2007 11

October 200712

Make no mistake, this is not magic and the man is not a

magician. It is Professor (Chair) Paul Chu Kim-ho of

the Department of Physics and Materials Science at City

University of Hong Kong (CityU) demonstrating how

plasma-treated nickel-titanium (NiTi) alloy can be used as

a stent – an expandable tube inserted into the body for

medical purposes, to a group of newspaper reporters.

This stent correction, which Professor Chu invented, is

for spine problems and is made of nickel and titanium.

It is known for its super-elasticity and the fact that it can

be bent in low temperatures and restored to its original

shape at designated higher temperatures.

The implications are enormous. It is already undergoing

clinical trials and has been implanted into a patient for

long- term observation, the first time such an experiment

has ever taken place. In addition, a patent for a “gradual

correction” surgical technique is pending, a procedure

that will make redundant multiple surgery for spinal

problems such scoliosis and major back injuries.

Innovation bears fruit

Some people spend their whole life concentrating on a

single research area while others diversify and reap the

rewards. Professor Chu belongs to the latter group and

the correction stent is merely one of several biomedical

applications that he has developed.

“I’m merely a businessman who knows what the

market needs and I conduct my research accordingly,”

says Professor Chu, a perfect tally with CityU’s mission

to emphasize professional education and applied

research.

Professor Chu has been researching plasma since joining

CityU in 1996 when he set up the first and only Plasma

Laboratory in Hong Kong with funding from CityU,

University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of

Science and Technology and the Hong Kong Research

Grants Council. His other interests include plasma science

and engineering, ion implantation, surface modification,

semiconductor materials and processing, biomaterials,

nanotechnology, functional thin films, optoelectronic

materials, and fabrication and characterization of

advanced materials and functional thin films.

The importance of plasma is it can be used to modify the surface properties and bio-compatibility of many different materials without changing the original characteristics.

October 2007 13

着

His fascination with plasma stems from its wide

applications. “Plasma can be found extensively in the

universe,” he explains. “It consists of an equal number

of positively- and negatively-charged particles that can

be influenced by applied electric and magnetic fields. On

Earth, however, natural plasma is rare. The conditions

for its occurrence are incompatible with those for the

existence of human beings.¨

However, plasma is connected with some natural

phenomena on the Earth, such as lightning; polar auroras,

the coloured light displays usually observed in the polar

night sky; the tip of a flame, often the hottest part;

and the ionosphere, the uppermost part of the Earth’s

atmosphere. In our daily life, it is most commonly found

in plasma displays, such as TV screens.

The importance of plasma is it can be used to modify the

surface properties and bio-compatibility of many different

materials without changing the original characteristics,

Professor Chu explains. For example, he and his team

developed the 100mm and 150mm silicon-on-insulator

wafers using plasma immersion ion implantation, or PIII,

technology and ion-cutting.

“These wafers can raise the operating speed of laptop

computers and mobile phones by approximately 30%,

making them more cost-effective and more commercially

viable,” he says. “A great deal of similar research has

been conducted worldwide, but our technology is the

most efficient and economical.”

In addition, PIII technology has been used to make

the stent correction device safe. “Nickel is harmful to

humans so we have to treat it with PIII technology. This

procedure changes the surface characteristics of the NiTi

alloy and prevents it from releasing harmful nickel ions,”

Professor Chu says.

His team’s achievement has attracted US$100 million

from several US companies and venture capitals into

Silicon Genesis Corporation, a high-tech company

in California. The invention was also featured

on the cover of the 40th anniversary issue of

Solid State Technology as the representative

technology from Hong Kong.

Plasma immersion ion implanter instruments like this one are manufactured by Plasma Technology Ltd, headed by Professor Chu.

October 200714

At present, Professor Chu is researching a new kind of

plasma-enhanced chip. “It is still at the initial research

stage and we are not yet sure how successful it will

be. But since it can store a great deal of personal data

and can be implanted into the human body, it’s very

interesting and has huge potential. Success will mean a

major breakthrough,” he says.

Nourishing talent

Many talented young researchers are currently working

at the Plasma Laboratory, specializing in metal materials,

physics, nanotechnology, biophysics, radioactive physics

and applied physics. The Lab acts as a point of contact

where these budding young scientists can pool their

expertise, discuss plasma technology and feedback on

each other’s work, thus creating opportunities for cross-

disciplinary transactions.

This hard-working group is led by Professor Chu, whose

teaching credentials are no less impressive than his

academic excellence and applied research achievements.

In his early days, Professor Chu won the DuPont Teaching

Award at Cornell University and after joining CityU

devoted a lot of time and energy to developing and

teaching material engineering courses. His approachable

personality and teaching style won him popularity with

students in the Department of Physics and Materials

Science. He was voted “best lecturer” and “best

presenter”, respectively.

“Professor Chu’s way of teaching is very different from

what I experienced before,” says Dr Xu Ming, a Senior

Research Assistant at the Plasma Lab who is currently

doing researches in the preparation of diamond-like

carbon (DLC) films on PEEK substrate and has attended

two of Professor Chu’s courses.

Dr Zhang Wei, another Senior

Research Assistant at the

lab, agrees. “Professor

Chu is very open-minded,

inspiring us to produce

creative ideas. He doesn’t

merely pass on knowledge.

He shows us how to

research independently.

Whether in the classroom or in

Dr Xu Ming

Dr Zhang Wei

October 2007 15

About Professor Paul Chu Kim-ho

Hong Kong-born Professor Chu graduated from Ohio State University in 1977 with a BS in Mathematics. He received his MS and PhD in chemistry from Cornell University in 1979 and 1982, respectively. Heading up the Plasma Laboratory, he has helped develop dozens of plasma-improved applications in biomedical and industrial fields such as ceramic materials for an artificial pelvis, materials for artificial heart valves, blood vessel stents, oilfield pumps, and ball bearings for use on satellites. Eleven technologies have been patented in the US and China.

Professor Chu is ranked among the top 0.1% of the world’s scientists in material science. He is a Fellow of many international professional societies and author, or co-author, of more than 1,000 research papers. He has also been on the editorial board of several prestigious international academic journals.

He recently won the 2007 IEEE / NPSS (Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society) Merit Award, the highest award issued by IEEE. The award is given once a year to only one scientist who has made outstanding contributions in nuclear and plasma sciences worldwide. Professor Chu is the first Hong Kong academic, and the only one from an Asian institute, to receive this honour since it was established in 1972.

the lab, Professor Chu gives us lots of room for creative

thinking,” he says.

Walking the talk of whole-person education

Professor Chu loves swimming and badminton and he

has won many prizes and holds several records at CityU.

What’s more, he has been Honorary Manager of the

CityU Varsity Swimming Team since 1999 and Honorary

Manager of the CityU Varsity Badminton Team since

1998. On top of that, he is a member of the Kwun Tong

Masters Swimming Team and has won more than 100

medals in Hong Kong masters swimming competitions.

“Professor Chu promotes sport at CityU with a great deal

of enthusiasm,” says Mrs Dorothy Davies, Associate

Director of Student Development Services. “He’s a great

role model for whole-person development.”

16 October 2007

By Michelle Leung

梁子儀

Professor (Chair) Wang Guiguo:王貴國講座教授 Developing the School of Law

Q & A with

談法律學院新發展

Professor (Chair) Wang Guiguo has been appointed CityU’s Dean of the School of Law for a term of three years with effect from 1 August 2007. Since joining CityU in 1991, Professor Wang has played a major role in the School’s development and he is now putting into action a number of plans to promote teaching and research. In an interview with CityU Today, Professor Wang talks about his future plans.

Q:How will you lead the School to develop students with an international outlook?

17October 2007

着

着

A: Strengthening ties and promoting exchanges between the School

and professional bodies and overseas law schools will be one of my

priorities.

The School of Law has been established for 20 years. It was previously

known as the Department of Law. It has faced a number of challenges

over the years and is now facing the challenge of globalization. China has

already become part of the international market because of the success of

its economy. When mainland lawyers want to go overseas, or when overseas

lawyers want to enter the mainland market, Hong Kong can serve as a

window. Although the mainland market has been open for some time, Hong

Kong still has a role to play, such as acting as a springboard for international

banks or law firms.

So our graduates should grasp this golden opportunity. They should be

equipped with not only Common Law knowledge but also international

skills to meet market needs. Under these circumstances, we should

collaborate with others and provide a favourable environment for

international exchanges for our students.

A: The School of Law has to find ways to produce better-equipped

students who are capable of practising law in different countries. To

achieve this, our curriculum will cover more international knowledge and

skills. Taking the topic of World Trade Organization (WTO) as an example,

we should teach not only basic knowledge but also in-depth knowledge

in particular areas, for example the WTO’s food security and hygiene

regulations. Another example is investment and service trade. What legal

regulations and procedures will be involved when problems occur? How

to approach relevant arbitrators when a case is brought before the court?

These are some of the practical international skills that we have to deliver to

students.

Providing students with more opportunities to interact with legal

scholars and experts from around the world is a critical element of an

internationalized learning environment. This is one of the reasons we set

up the International Advisory Board (IAB) of renowned professors and

experienced legal practitioners. The IAB will further enhance teaching and

research at the School.

A: T here are 13 members sitting on the IAB, including professors

from Harvard, Yale and Oxford univer sit ies and local and

international legal practitioners, and the co-chairs are Dr Simon

Q: As the new dean of the School of Law, what is your first priority?

Q: Who is on the IAB and what will the IAB do at first?

Q:Are there plans to reform the curriculum in the School?Are thehere plans to reform the curriculum in the School?

18 October 2007

着

Ip Sik-on and Dr Michael J Moser. Together we are going to establish

substantial exchange programmes and by doing this we hope our students

will know more about what is happening in the rest of the world and that

they will be able to cope with those issues.

At the IAB inaugural meeting on 31 August, Dr Ip and five IAB members

shared their views with CityU staff at a roundtable discussion on

“Globalization and legal education” from the perspectives of the US, Japan,

Korea and Australia.

A: We are restructuring the Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (PCLL)

programme. The Bachelor of Laws (LLB) programme was once a

3-year programme while the PCLL focused on teaching legal knowledge

not yet covered under the LLB curriculum. But the LLB became a 4-year

degree in 2004–05 and now covers much of the knowledge taught on

the PCLL, so law professionals have urged us to produce a more skills-

based PCLL programme. Taking the procedures of criminal cases as an

O’Melveny & Myers LLP Asia Pacific Legal 500

Henry L Stimson

2005 2006

Sir John Latham

çFrançois-Xavier Bagnoud

Myres S McDougal

Q: How will your education and work experiences on the mainland and in the US impact upon your leadership

of the School?

How will your education and work experiences on the mainland and in the US impact upon your leadership of the School?

19October 2007

example, the curr iculum will have

to include the practical element of

how to conduct a defence. This kind

of restructuring, from knowledge to

skills-based, will involve a tremendous

change in cour se mater ia l s , and

tutorial and examination content. It is

a major challenge for the School.

We invited Mr Christopher Roper,

a legal training expert who has been

involved with CityU for a long time,

to work with the School on this

project. Mr Roper is well-known

in Hong Kong for his part in the

reform of legal education through the

Redmond-Roper Report, submitted

to the HKSAR government in 2001.

He will also advise on other issues concerning legal education.

A: After graduation, I was assigned to work in the Department of Law

and Treaties of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and was

granted a fellowship from the United Nations Institute for Training and

Research which enabled me to study at the International Court of Justice,

the Hague Academy of International Law, the Office of Legal Affairs of the

United Nations, and the Legal Department of the World Bank.

At first, working in an international environment with older scholars, trying

to understand their way of thinking, was quite a challenge. I was little over

20 and realized that I had a lot to learn. But maintaining close contacts

with such a diverse range of people broadened my views on life and work

tremendously.

When I studied for my doctorate degree at Yale University, the Dean of the

School of Law really impressed me. One day he invited me to lunch and

after pointing out that he was aware how well I was doing in my studies, in

particular in my thesis, he asked how much money I would need to cover

the living costs in the next academic year. I felt that the School was very

supportive and come to realize that teachers should treat their students as if

they were family, demanding high standards and taking an interest in their

lives beyond the classroom.

The IAB members share their views on globalization and legal education with CityU’s academics at the inaugural meeting.

October 200720

Get ready for change

Coordinator: Ellen Chan

陳倩茹

Photo by Sunny Wong

攝影：黃新源

裏

21October 2007

Grasp all the opportunities and make the best use of your time to study to equip yourselves and get ready for tomorrow’s goals.

着

October 200722

n the s i t t i ng room of an o ld

people’s home, the only noise is the

swirl of mahjong * tiles and the laughter

and cries of the players as they inspect their

hands and aim to outwit each other in this

ancient game of strategy and skill.

It looks like a typical scene in many Chinese

communities, especially in mainland China

and Hong Kong, where mahjong is regarded

as a national pastime. But this particular game

is different. A nurse is standing by recording

the emotions of the players, all of whom have

been especially selected, and occasionally

she helps players discard tiles to ensure the

game’s smooth progress

In fact, this game is an investigation, the first

of its kind, into the therapeutic effects of

mahjong on senile dementia.

Mahjong therapy for senile dementia

裏

着

裏

裏

着着

October 2007 23

October 200724

着

The growing problem of senile dementiaThe number of people around the world with senile

dementia looks set to grow as the number of people classified as seniors

increases. According to the United Nations, a third of the population

living in developed countries or cities such as Hong Kong will be over

65 by 2050, and, according to recent studies, seven out of every 100

people over 65 may develop senile dementia.

“This means societies around the world will have to provide better

medical and social services for people suffering from this condition,”

explains Dr Cheng Sheung-tak, Associate Professor in the Department

of Applied Social Studies of City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and

a leading expert on health problems experienced by the elderly.

Senile dementia is a debilitating condition usually associated with

Alzheimer’s disease. Patients gradually lose their cognitive ability (e.g.

memory), attention span, and language and problem-solving abilities.

They may also exhibit abnormal psychological and behavioural problems,

such as confusing time, place and people. No cure is available as yet but

some patients usually take the inhibitor acetylcholinesterase, despite its

many side effects. However, the prohibitive cost means a more practical

approach is desirable.

M ahjong therapy study There is a popular Chinese saying that

“mahjong can cure all diseases”. People say the game helps

develop relationships, adjust emotions and enhance communication.

It requires analysis and strategic thinking and is thought to boost

memory and enhance the ability to make quick decisions.

Although he did not know how to play the game prior to his

research, Dr Cheng, who has studied issues related to the

global ageing population under the auspices of the United

Nations, was aware of the many positive aspects of playing

mahjong and in 2004 he initiated a collaborative research

project with the Social Services Department at Yan Chai

Hospital in Hong Kong.

Dr Cheng said finding appropriate participants for the

study was challenging. It was necessary to identify people

who knew the rules well; had not played the game for

six months before the study started, to ensure accurate

measurements; and were not going to be taking medicine

for dementia during the research, to ensure objectivity.

Mahjong can be played at many different levels of

October 2007 25

complexity and players perform to their own level o f

competence, so gathering people of a similar

s t anda rd wa s impor t an t . I n add i t i on ,

counselling sessions were deemed necessary to

make sure the players would not suffer emotional

problems, due to winning, losing or arguments.

“To solve these problems, we visited eight elderly homes

and identified 62 players who had low to fair degrees

of senile dementia,” Dr Cheng said. “They were

randomly divided into two groups to play mahjong

twice and four times a week, respectively. The whole

study took 16 weeks.”

Data was collected one month before and after the research,

using participants who had completed over 70% of the study. Dr Cheng

analyzed this data – looking at memory of numerals, language and

cognitive ability – and then compared his results against the effects of

medicine used to treat senile dementia.

E ncouraging resultsInitial research results indicate that mahjong can boost

cognitive ability in much the same way that medicine does. In particular,

mahjong has a very positive impact on the ability to remember numbers,

and there is no difference between participants playing twice or four

times a week, even after they have stopped playing for one month. This

means players don’t have to play as a routine to enjoy the health benefits.

Dr Cheng now plans to integrate biological technology to the study

looking at the relationship between DNA and the health benefits of

playing mahjong. He will also incorporate the impact of Tai-chi into the

study for the first time. This new proposal has won the support of the

University, as well as the Research Grant Council, and has secured over

$1m funding in the 2007- 08 Competitive Earmarked Research Grant.

“I hope this kind of research encourages the government to work with

social organizations to provide more social activities for the elderly that

will help prevent conditions such as senile dementia and depression

among the elderly,” Dr Cheng says. “There’s no doubt that this research

will help the elderly enjoy a better retirement.”

* For a detailed explanation of this game and the rules,

please refer to “Mahjong” in Wikipedia.

October 200726

Tracking social

October 2007 27

changes through

By Ellen Chan

陳倩茹

A collection of new terms such as “HKSAR Chief Executive”, “Golden Week”, “Financial Turmoil”, “Individual Visit” and “Sense of Belonging” has passed into common usage locally in the decade since

Hong Kong reunited with mainland China.

According to the LIVAC (Linguistic Variations in Chinese Speech Communities) Synchronous Corpus, about 10,000 new terms have emerged between 1997 and 2007. These new terms are said to reflect cultural changes in Hong Kong.

LIVAC has been cultivated by the Language Information Sciences Research Centre at City University of Hong Kong since 1995 to assess cultural and social changes through the study of new linguistic terms among other things.

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着

words

October 200728

Words reflect social changesProfessor (Chair) Benjamin T’sou Ka-yin, Director of the Centre,

says the last decade marks an important stage in the development of

Hong Kong society. The turning point was the increase in political,

economic and cultural exchange following the handover, resulting

in the subsequent assimilation of many mainland terms by people in

Hong Kong and a plethora of new terms coined in Hong Kong and

surrounding areas. Some expressions may become obsolete with time.

“So this is a good time for us to study the recent changes in the local

culture through a review of lexical development,” Professor T’sou said.

The source texts used are editorials, headlines, international and

local news, cross-Straits news, reports on the economy, sports and

entertainment as well as advertisements, all taken from mass media

materials in Hong Kong, Macau, Taipei, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai,

Guangzhou and Shenzhen. These articles are collected every four days

for both quantitative and qualitative analysis and comparison. More

than 200 million Chinese characters have been processed during

the pre- and post-reunification period of Hong Kong and Macau,

spanning the 20th and 21st centuries for more than one decade.

Professor T’sou (centre) and his team.

October 2007 29

着

着

Professor T’sou says studying lexical development sheds light on the

interaction between Hong Kong and the mainland. “Some local

terms with a strong cultural content have had a significant impact on

the mainland, especially those used in daily life. For example, some

frequently-used local terms such as ‘check the bill’, ‘taxi’ and ‘get done’

have been widely accepted on the mainland, ” Professor T’sou says. “In the

meantime, some political terms used on the mainland have also found

their way into the local culture. For instance, ‘development trend’

and ‘under investigation at a stipulated time and place’, ‘implement’

have gradually become part of the daily lexicon in Hong Kong,”

Professor T’sou continues.

“There is a close correlation between the development of local words

and the community,” Professor T’sou adds. “It reflects not only what

the locals care about, but also the salient features of local culture.” He

says further that there is meaning other than the words themselves.

Words are like clothing or ornaments. They have their own structure,

colour and style. When they are used on different occasions or on

different people at different time, they knowingly or unknowingly

convey additional message. For example, like a pair of earrings. When

a man or woman put on the earrings nowadays or 20 years ago, they

convey different messages and invoke different perceptions of the

wearer.

20071997

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October 200730

Dynamic lexical development Professor T’sou says expressions and terms change over time, as seen

in the use of the term “interpretation of laws”. “When we now see

this term, we think of the amendments and interpretations relating

to the stipulations in the Basic Law,” Professor T’sou says. “But

this term was actually associated with religion in the past, more

specifically with seeking explications of Buddhistic sutras. However,

after the establishment of the Government of the Hong Kong Special

Administrative Region a new meaning was added because there was

a need for an interpretation of the clauses in the Basic Law.” This

example illustrates the close relationship between social changes and

lexical development, showing how new meanings can evolve when

there are changes in culture or the community.

Research on the corpus reveals that people who use Chinese

for communication can easily understand 90% of the content in

newspapers after learning 1,000 of the most frequently-used Chinese

characters. Reading Chinese is possible with just 3,000 to 4,000

commonly used words.

“The Ministry of Education in Beijing is keenly interested in these

findings and feels that it is worth further research,” Professor

T’sou says. “I believe this kind of research will help us to improve the

language competence of the younger generations.”

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October 2007 31

Prospects for cross-disciplinary researches in language information sciencesProfessor T’sou’s major area of research is language information

sciences, a new interdisciplinary subject that focuses on the study of

the structure as well as the encoding and decoding of information

in the context of natural language. This discipline also uses computer

technology and professional knowledge to simulate the processes

involved in natural language. One of the major tasks for Professor

T’sou and his research team is to study the creation and development

of new terms and to analyze linguistic changes in Chinese speech

communities.

Professor T’sou says the collection of mater ials for the LIVAC

Synchronous Corpus, because of its unusual nature, offers a

continuous culture window on the diverse Chinese communities.

Because of its rigorous approach taken in the cultivation and analysis

of material from LIVAC, many local and overseas institutions and

enterprises expressed interest to collaborate with the Centre. The

Centre will continue to monitor the pulse of lexical development in

the diverse Chinese communities and to explore the deeper meaning

of the terms being studied.

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October 2007OOctOctOctobeobeoberr r 2220

By Sandy Chang Mei-yin

張美賢

20 202020200077

不要 輕言放棄

32

I grew up an only child, a quiet introvert with a poor

ability to express myself verbally. Instead of talking,

I used to write about my feelings of happiness, anger,

sadness and joy. I also started to play the piano when I was

quite young. I love popular music, so when my secondary

education began I tr ied to express my feelings by

changing foreign songs with Chinese lyrics, and gradually

developed this love in creating lyrics.

One summer I worked at the music shop near my home.

It was while I was working there I saw a poster about a

competition for writing lyrics. It was being organized

by the Amateur Lyric Writers’ Association. I mustered

up the courage and sent in my entry. I won, something

that really boosted by confidence. After that, I knocked

on the doors of several record companies and sent them

my work. After mailing off over 20 letters, I got responses

from three companies. This started my career as a lyricist,

quite smoothly.

During my career, I have had some gloomy days. First, in

my two years as an executive for a record company, other

record companies rarely used my lyrics; and because I do

not like going out socially, my interpersonal skills are not

that great and this has affected my output. And piracy has

also dented my career.

October 2007OOc 2007OctOctOOctOctctobeoberr r 33

I have worked with many composers over the past ten

years. The most unforgettable experience was to work

with Mahmood Rumjahn on his song “Talk against

the heart” which was sung by Lau Siu-wai. It took me

two weeks and nine revisions before the job was finally

finished, my record for working on a composition.

Despite the hard times, I have experienced many happy

moments such as when I wrote for my idol Andy Lau. I

actually met him in a studio and he was kind enough to

invite me to sit with him at dinner. I’ll never forget that.

I am most proud of my work on “Where my love should

go” sung by Anita Mui. It took me only one day to finish

and the producer Anthony Lun was delighted and made

no changes. Radio DJs were so positive about the song.

My major was translation studies when I studied applied

linguistics at CityU. I learned that words must be used

precisely and that when there are similar words to express

the same meaning, I should choose the best word with

care. I also studied cultural studies where I learned about

the cultures of different countries such as Greek myths

which gave me lots of ideas for new songs. I also learned

the nine tones used in Cantonese, a big help when

writing in Cantonese.

If I had not taken the initiative to send unsolicited letters

to all those record companies, I would not have become

a lyricist. So I feel that we should first set a goal for

ourselves and then never relinquish our dreams.

through through

My interest has always been to work as a social worker and a university

teacher, so youth empowerment has always been my work focus and

target guide.

From many years exper ience in this field, I have come to realize that

empowerment has attracted a lot of attention because of the studies of help-

seeking behaviour. Most studies indicate if in a helping relationship that the

helpers fail to review their methods on a regular basis, the relationship with those

being helped will usually be unequal. Since people who are helpers often possess

power, knowledge and resources, they are also easily prone to premature criticism

and over-guidance. They may also easily dismiss the potential and independent

abilities of those being helped, such as when some mothers refuse to believe their

grown-up children can take care of themselves.

Another stereotype we should be aware of is those being helped are often labeled

as people who lack ability and knowledge or who have problems. They could

be students, children, the elderly, the sick or poor people. If both the helpers and

those being helped feel their relationship is polarized or unequal, then those

being helped may not benefit. Some studies even question if such help might

have a negative impact. So the situation might arise in which the more help

people receive, the less confidence and independence they have. Subsequently,

those people become over-reliant on helpers.

Nurturing a Nurturing a Nurturing a through

34 October 2007

youth empowerment youth empowerment

We should alert ourselves to these pitfalls. In 2005, we launched the City-Youth

Empowerment Project, hoping that students can understand better the concept

of “empowerment” by participating in voluntary services and, with an equal,

positive and respectful attitude, help those who are sick, poor, weak and frustrated.

Furthermore, we hope the students can improve their self-confidence and

interpersonal skills and become more independent.

We hope students can understand different social issues and we encourage them

to help different kinds of people. In the long run, this programme can build a

caring team for the community and let the younger generation understand the

true meaning of “serving others”.

Dr Elaine Au Liu Suk-ching

Associate Professor

Department of Applied Social Studies

Convenor of the City-Youth Empowerment Project of the Youth Studies Net

caring generationcaring generationcaring generation youth empowerment

35October 2007