Conversations With Scripture

In The Heart Sūtra: Revisiting Its Texts, History, and Meaning, Henry C. H. Shiu investigates the historical origins of the Heart Sūtra, a significant Buddhist scripture. He compares the Sanskrit texts with their Chinese and Tibetan translations to analyse whether the Heart Sūtra might be a Chinese apocryphon, through detailed linguistic examination. To achieve this goal, Shiu thoroughly examines the primary sources from which the scripture was extracted. He emphasises the necessity of reading the Heart Sūtra in the larger context of the Perfection of Wisdom literature, which contains the essence of Mahāyāna Buddhist teaching. In this monograph, Shiu successfully transcends the boundaries between the Chinese, Indian and Tibetan Buddhist traditions and provides a revisionist interpretation of the Heart Sūtra.

Although the arts have been firmly planted in the Hong Kong school system since the 1950s, they are often sacrificed in place of core subjects and preparation for examinations. Drawing on over fourteen years of exploration and experience, Yau makes the case that arts are critical to cultivating creative mindsets, which are our best resource for innovating and responding to challenges in this complex world of sudden changes. Through case studies and conversations with practising artists and educators, this book demonstrates why arts and education, two normally discrete disciplines, should be broadly integrated into the local Hong Kong curriculum, and how this can be – and has been – achieved. This book is intended for policymakers, educators, arts heads, and artists. The volume will also appeal to readers curious about how and why the arts should be foundational to education and capacity building in the twenty-first century.

"Wine Travelogue: Exploring the Charms of the Okanagan Valley" unveils the journey of savouring the wines of Canada's Okanagan Valley! When you think of Canadian wine, ice wine might be the first to come to mind. However, when the author embarked on a wine tour in the Okanagan Valley and tasted over a hundred local wines, he was immediately captivated by the reds, whites, sparklings, and rosés. This book is presented in both Chinese and English, brimming with captivating photographs and text. It chronicles the author's adventures and emotions, along with wine tasting notes and conversations with individual winemakers, grape growers, and estate managers during visits to twelve representative wineries across the Okanagan Valley, from north to south. The photographs vividly portray the region's lakes and mountains, the vineyards, and the winemaking facilities of each winery, as well as the warm faces of the local community. The book also delves into the author's insights into the regi

Appropriate for use by students at varying levels of competence, Burmese: A Cultural Approach provides a thorough and systematic introduction to the Burmese writing system in Part One and a series of true-to-life conversations in Part Two. Students with some prior knowledge of the spoken language but little familiarity with the Burmese script can use Part One to solidify their grasp of the Burmese sound system as well as its orthography. Intrepid beginners could also start their study of the language by making use of Part One. Doing so would mean making a slower start at formulating phrases as compared to using a romanization system but learners would gain a firmer foundation for the later—and eventually, faster—development of their speaking and reading skills. The conversations in Part Two are extensively annotated in order to illustrate grammatical patterns, characteristic turns of phrase, and typical habits of social interaction. True to an anthropological approach to language le

《邊學邊用：粵語聽說教材（二）》是為非華語母語背景的學習者編寫的以粵語作為二語學習的教材。本書課本內容取材自生活場景，提供常用詞彙，並附上活學活用的練習，讓學習者能在日常生活中靈活使用粵語。 “Cantonese in Communication”is a series of textbooks designed for learners learning Cantonese as a second language. It targets to use daily language scenarios, useful vocabulary, lively conversations and exercise in a practical way. It is meant for learners with no Chinese background to use Cantonese in their daily life.

1. 以真實的情景話題編寫課文對話，讓讀者可以邊學邊用、活學活用。 2. 歸納活用詞彙，讓讀者輕鬆掌握高頻使用的粵語詞彙。 3. 詳解粵語語法結構、標註語用知識，讓讀者了解粵語語法框架和使用的特殊性。 《邊學邊用︰粵語聽說教材》是為非華語母語背景的學習者編寫的以粵語作為二語學習的系列教材。本書課本內容取材自生活場景，提供常用詞彙，並附上活學活用的練習，讓學習者能在日常生活中靈活使用粵語。 “Cantonese in Communication” is a series of textbooks designed for learners learning Cantonese as a second language. It targets to use daily language scenarios, useful vocabulary, lively conversations and exercise in a practical way. It is meant for learners with no Chinese background to use Cantonese in their daily life. 本書特色： 1. Features of this textbook:全書使用耶魯–羅馬標音系統標註粵語。 2. Widely-used Yale-Romanization system to transcribe Cantonese. 3. 本書分課時立設學習目標使學習者可以更高效率地增強粵語溝通能力。 Setting clear stage goals to improve oral proficiency. 4. 隨書附課文錄音，並提供大量的聽說練習。 Providing a variety of exercises for practicing speaking and listening skills, and full recordings of text and vocabulary. 5. 本書在大學已經使用多年，特別適合短訓班，學習者可以在比較短的時間內，基本掌握學校課堂、交通詢問、邀約、留言、飲食購物、簡短講演等方面的語言運用。 This textbook has been used for many yea

《邊學邊用：華語聽說教材》是針對以普通話為第二語言／外語人士的特點和需要編寫的普通話口語系列教材。教材取材於普通話母語人士的口語對話，幫助學習者學習普通話，在日常生活或專業領域學以致用。 “Chinese（Putonghua）in Communication” is a series of spoken Putonghua textbooks designed for learners studying Putonghua as a second／foreign language. By drawing all examples and sample conversations from authentic speaking materials collected from native Putonghua speakers, this book series is suitable for learners aiming at learning practical Putonghua to be used in their daily as well as professional lives. 本書特點： Features of this textbook: 1. 簡體中文和漢語拼音對照，並附繁體中文供參考。 Simplified Chinese characters and Pinyin（Romanization）are presented side by side, also with conventional Chinese characters attached for reference. 2. 豐富多彩的練習，還原日常生活場景，活學活用。 Providing various communicative tasks simulating real world scenarios or situations. 3. 隨書附課文及詞彙錄音。 Providing full recordings of text and vocabulary. 4. 本書在大學已經使用多年，特別適合短訓班，學習者可以在比較短的時間內，基本掌握學校課堂、交通詢問、邀約、留言、飲食購物、簡短講演等方面的語言運用。 This textbook has been used

Archival records are meant to serve as evidence of responsible governance, and in addition to their undeniable political value, they also serve as the basic component of a nation’s documentary heritage. Records today are history tomorrow. However, with the absence of an Archives Law in Hong Kong and the significance of keeping records being overlooked or actually not understood by people of Hong Kong, there are heightened concerns that government records would be destroyed for unjustifiable reasons and that public’s rights to access well-preserved government records would be deprived of. This book in 16 chapters is based on a series of direct face-to-face interviews with different practising archivists and special library managers in Hong Kong. Their conversations recorded in the book not only enable readers to understand the urgency of approving the Archives Law, but also reveal the details about their profession, as well as the richness of the local heritage that is uniquely Hong Ko

ESL/EFL Cases: Contexts for Teacher Professional Discussions is designed to provoke conversations on language teaching from multiple perspectives. The format of the presentation of cases allows the reader to gain insights on teaching from the vantage point of the students’ proficiency, the teacher’s perspective, the writers’ questions and suggested answers and finally the critical commentary. Readers are treated as thinking professionals who are capable of analysing the acts of language teaching through the teaching excerpts and the dynamic lesson transcriptions. The questions and critical commentary encourage deeper and more critical processing rather than a superficial interpretation of the teaching act. The cases, derived from authentic teaching contexts, encourage readers to appreciate the rich tapestry of teaching with all its complexities. Designed to promote professional discussions and deeper reflective and more effective practice, this book is a must for the teacher education