Contested Illnesses

Sustaining Landscapes: Governance and Ecology in Chinese Visual Culture, 960–1368 CE examines ecological thought contested amid the rise of the Chinese landscape genre, tracing its intersections with infrastructure governance, natural resource management, and geospatial knowledge. It traces the pre-industrial notion of “sustainability” in policy debates, legal regulations, and arts. Landscape imagery on paintings, maps, as well as mass-produced artifacts such as fans and ceramic pillows documented both appropriate and exploitative use of natural resources, and critiqued on social inequity and political turmoil. This book breaks new ground by bringing together research on visual and material culture with analysis of politics and ecology. Wang argues that the Chinese landscape genre embodied a holistic approach to negotiating debates on human-nature interdependence and people-state relationships. It joins the increasing literature on ecocriticism and offers alternative perspectives to ad

This book describes and analyses the role of the public sector in the often-charged political atmosphere of post-1997 Hong Kong. In this second edition, Ian Scott explores public sector accountability in terms of Hong Kong’s constitutional framework and the structure, functions, and personnel policies of its civil service system. He examines critical issues facing the administration of the public sector and the formulation and implementation of public policy with particular attention to the political challenges confronting the Hong Kong government over the past decade. A concluding chapter assesses how contested values in a changing political environment have affected the public sector in recent years. This edition has been fully updated to incorporate the latest statistics and research, including Scott’s work in such areas as integrity management, corruption prevention, and policing. This book is an essential resource for scholars and students of public administration and public poli

The origins of modern Daoism can be traced to the Church of the Heavenly Master (Tianshidao), reputedly established by the formidable Zhang Daoling. In 142 CE, according to Daoist tradition, Zhang was visited by the Lord on High, who named him his vicar on Earth with the title Heavenly Master. The dispensation articulated an eschatological vision of saving initiates—the pure, those destined to become immortals— by enforcing a strict moral code. Under evolving forms, Tianshidao has remained central to Chinese society, and Daoist priests have upheld their spiritual allegiance to Zhang, their now divinized founder. This book tells the story of the longue durée evolution of the Heavenly Master leadership and institution. Later hagiography credits Zhang Daoling’s great-grandson, putatively the fourth Heavenly Master, with settling the family at Longhushan (Dragon and Tiger Mountain); in time his descendants—down to the present contested sixty-fifth Heavenly Master living in Taiwan— made th

This delightful memoir is the story of a life well lived—a Hong Kong doctor who worked as a surgeon for over fifty years and who later turned his hand to his other great passion, gardening. At times amusing, at times heartbreaking, and at other times educational and instructive, he describes real-life cases and the medical causes of illnesses, including many incredible stories of life-saving operations that will keep you riveted to your seat. Interspersing these chapters are tales from his fascinating personal life, and reflections on his journey to becoming an expert gardener. Throughout the book is woven the metaphor of the author’s journey to Ithaka, as described in a moving poem of the same name that charts a path for how to live a life ‘full of adventure, full of discovery’. Beautifully written in a lively, engaging style, this book is sure to win the hearts of many, whether they personally knew this respected and well-loved surgeon/gardener, or whether they simply—after reading t

Utopia and Utopianism in the Contemporary Chinese Context: Texts, Ideas, Spaces decisively demonstrates the extent to which utopianism has shaped political thought, cultural imaginaries, and social engagement after it was introduced into the Chinese context in the nineteenth century. In fact, pursuit of utopia has often led to action—such as the Chinese Revolution and the Umbrella Movement—and contested consequences. Covering a time span that goes from the late Qing to our days, the authors show that few ideas have been as influencing as utopia, which has compellingly shaped the imaginaries that underpin China’s historical change. Utopianism contributed to the formation of the Chinese state itself—shaping the thought of key figures of the late Qing and early Republican eras such as Kang Youwei and Sun Yat-sen—and outlived the labyrinthine debates of the second half of the twentieth century, both under Mao’s rule and during the post-socialist era. Even in the current times of dystopian

Proverbs 4:22 from Scripture says, “For they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.” God's way of life is the best medicine. Pastor Daniel Tsao has compiled “42 Doses” based on Bible verses, supplemented by vivid testimonies and teachings of miraculous healing. Readers can take it three times a day, just like taking medicine. Read a scripture, chew it, meditate on it, pray, and then eat it! This is the prescription for divine healing and divine health. We pray and hope readers will be brought before God through this book, enter into His flow of life and healing waters, and get better or even be healed of their illnesses. 聖經箴言4:22提到神的話，說：「因為得著祂的，就得了生命，又得了醫全體的良藥。」 神生命之道是最好的藥方，曹力中牧師以聖經經文編寫出〈42帖藥〉，輔以生動的神醫見證與教導。讀者可以每天按三餐服用，像吃藥一樣，讀一處經文，咀嚼、默想、禱告、吃下去！這是屬天醫治與神聖健康之藥方。 期待讀者藉這本書被帶到神的面前，進入祂生命與醫治的水流中，病情好轉甚至得醫痊。