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The Education Bureau (EDB), in collaboration with the Hong Kong Science Museum and East Asian History of Science Foundation (Hong Kong), will organise three academic lectures on the history of science in China in September for secondary school students. The lecture series aims at deepening students' appreciation of the "Western Scientific Instruments of the Qing Court" Exhibition now being held at the Hong Kong Science Museum.
As one of the four ancient civilisations, China led the world in scientific and technological developments for a long and glorious period, during which all sorts of innovative and fantastic technologies emerged. Professor Naubahar Sharif (Division of Social Science, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), Professor Fung Kam-wing (School of Chinese, The University of Hong Kong) and Professor Angela Leung Ki-che (Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Hong Kong) will describe outstanding examples of these technologies and examine why they were eclipsed by the technological achievements of the Western world after the Industrial Revolution.
Details of the three lectures, to be held at the Lecture Hall of the Hong Kong Science Museum, are as follows:
September 11 (Friday), 2.30pm to 4pm
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"Ancient Chemistry for Wealth and Eternity of Life?"
Professor Naubahar Sharif will describe what potions ancient Chinese alchemists prescribed for their clients to achieve immortality.
(in Cantonese and English)
September 18 (Friday), 2.30pm to 4pm
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"From Emperor Chongzhen to Emperor Kangxi: The Courts of Ming and Qing Dynasties and Western Science"
Professor Fung Kam-wing will describe the Western technologies which captivated these two emperors of the late Ming and early Qing periods, as well as examples of scientific achievements in China during their reigns including the Huangyu Quanlan Tu (Map of the Complete Vista of the Imperial Realm) completed on the orders of Emperor Kangxi with the help of many foreign missionaries, but which eventually remained unpublished.
(in Cantonese)
September 23 (Wednesday), 2.30pm to 4pm
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"Were Daoist Immortals Pioneers of Immunology?"
Professor Angela Leung Ki-che will describe how variolation against smallpox, thought to be one of the secret skills of Daoist immortals, was practised in traditional Chinese medicine hundreds of years before Jennerian vaccination appeared in Europe, and examine its impact on subsequent developments in medicine.
(in Cantonese)
The above lectures are also open to members of the public. Admission is free. Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Students who enroll in a lecture through their schools will enjoy free admission to the "Western Scientific Instruments of the Qing Court" Exhibition on the same day after attending the lecture. The exhibition is open until 7pm. For enrolment details, schools can refer to the circular memo issued by the EDB in July as well as the facsimile and application forms sent to all secondary schools.
For details of the exhibition, please visit the Hong Kong Science Museum webpage(hk.science.museum/ms/wsi2015/eindex.html).
Ends/Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Issued at HKT 17:08
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