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Speech at the Banquet for honored guests (with pictures)

But l wood be willing to guarantee, that when the present period in East Asian history is reviewed from a longer perspective, the principle will again be conceded, that !?Dlearning may reside with the peoples and societies on the periphery of the Chinese heartland.' That the brave commitment to political progress which Lord Patten referred tonight, in Hong Kung and Taiwan, will have taken its place in the ongoing historical narrative.

And so to the first statement the Analects, the sayings of Confucius: in your book on p. 84, you quote as follows: "The Master said, "To learn something and then put it into practice at the right time: is this not a jpy'''. lf this was a tutorial or supervision, that is to say if I could somehow manage to supervise the Chancellor of Qxford, I would ask you, Lord Patten, to explain 'at the right time'. The Chinese text just has the one word 'time'. And indeed this sentence has had several interpretations, How about "Is it not a delight to study and revise from time to time?" That is Use version I tend to use, and We urge this on our undergraduates at about this time of the year, and I am sure that you do the same at Oxford. But I have to admit that here at least in Cambridge it falls rather flat. Yet philologically, it is an equal respectable understanding of the original Chinese. And James Legge, the first holding the first chair of Chinese at Oxford, offers yet another, more chastening understanding, "Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant Perseverance and application?"

But when all is said and done, and tutorials apart, it doesn't really matter. All interpretations of this opening sentence agree that Confucius was saying that studying is a delight. And we in East Asian Studies feel a special kinship with this remark from long ago. Our subject is relative new in the ancient Universities; 1874 in Oxford with Jame Legge's appointment, aid 1885 in Cambridge with that of Sir Thomas Wade.

But we in East Asian Studies face the new century with a sense of excitement: we are fortunate that our field has the keen support both of the University and of Individual Colleges, St John's being a leader in this role. We are extremely grateful that we are encouraged to expand and to raise support for new Positions, at a time of general retrenchment.. We are particularly grateful too for support of the Vice-chancellor herself within the University and also for the very good work she has done for us In Hong Kong and East Asia.

I would like to close, therefore, by inviting you to join me in thanking: first Lord Patten for his far-ranging and stimulating Lecture, secondly Dr Hwalin Lee and the Chuan Lyn Foundation for their continued generosity, and thirdly she Vice-Chancellor for her ongoing support for East Asian within and beyond the University. Gun bei.

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