From Birds To... Aircraft

The genre of poems that may be read both forward and backward, producing different creations was known as the “flight of wild geese.” These poems were often sent so that a distant lover, like the migrating birds, would return. Its greatest practitioner, and the focus of this critical anthology, is Su Hui, a woman who, in the 4th Century, embroidered a silk for her distant husband using a grid of 840 characters that created perhaps 12,000 ways to read this poem. With examples from the 3rd to the 19th centuries, Michele Metail describes reversible poems as “a singular adventure at the edge of meaning, of language, and of writing.”

The book is comprised of 12 units of interesting articles that introduces Taiwan from different perspectives, including geographical position; cultural customs; life of the daily basis; historical background; and its present development. This book aims to teach readers everything from Taiwan in fairly simple English. After you are equipped with the basic knowledge of English vocabulary, it will show you how to talk about Taiwan without having to use many complicated, difficult expressions. As you read with the book, you will begin to understand how to use a simple form of English to talk about, not just Taiwan, but anything! Each unit of the book is divided into four sections that serve different functions.lIt begins with a few short passages that provide information about Taiwan in various subjects; such as religion, culture, language, economy, and history. . .etc.lThe section follows these passages is the quiz directly comes from the subjects above, which help to test your reading co

Collected and Curated introduces Chinese art and material culture through the items from the permanent collection of The University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG), The University of Hong Kong. As the oldest continuously operating museum in Hong Kong, UMAG serves as a significant venue for contemporary art exhibitions, and excels at collecting, documenting and teaching about local and regional artists and art forms, while fostering ongoing and new relationships. Regarded as an essential teaching resource, UMAG has expanded its collection and programming through generous donations from patrons and artists, along with support from the University of Hong Kong and the HKU Museum Society. Since 1953, curators and educators have leveraged this assistance to expand, display and teach with a collection that highlights artefacts ranging from Neolithic cultures (ca. 6500 BCE–ca. 1900 BCE) to the early kingdoms and dynasties of imperial China (ca. 1500 BCE–1911). UMAG has also gained a reputation f

How did a small church in Silicon Valley grow into a worldwide movement of spiritual renewal? In Envision Without Limits, Pastor Tong Liu reveals the keys behind River of Life Christian Church’s remarkable growth. From breaking growth barriers to building strong small groups and inspiring men and women to lead—this book is packed with practical strategies and spiritual insight for churches today.

In 1901, journalist Francis H. Nichols traveled from New York to China's Shaanxi province to report on the famine there. This book from 1902 is the result of his experiences in Xian and surrounding areas, including Hebei and Shanxi provinces.

Originally published in 1898, this book is a record of British army officer Francis Younghusband's adventures from Manchuria and Beijing to Xinjiang, and then through the Karakoram Mountains to British India.

More than 600 years after Marco Polo traveled to the East, Clarence Dalrymple Bruce retraced the famous Venetian’s steps from Shimla in British India to Beijing, publishing this book about his experience in 1907.

When the Lion Dancer Comes to Town: A Feast of Fun centers on the golden trio of culinary creativity, football and martial arts. From the fall of Ah Sing’s lion figurine, the breaking of egg and the series of unfortunes, to festive days like Easter and Chef’s Day, Ah Sing and his mum work together to turn his fortune around, creating a delicious full-egg banquet. Ah Sing’s mum secretly prays for blessings and miracle finally comes. Hope this heartfelt tale brings joy, warmth and smiles to readers, showing how effort and resilience lead to rewarding outcomes.

This book is the second in a two-volume monograph on the Zidanku Silk Manuscripts. Looted in 1942 from the Warring States-period Chu tomb at Zidanku, Changsha, the manuscripts date to the turn from the 4th to the 3rd centuries BCE and are the only pre-Imperial Chinese manuscripts on silk found to-date. The monograph represents the culmination of almost four decades of research by Professor Li Ling of Peking University. Volume One addresses the circumstances of the discovery of the Zidanku Silk Manuscripts and the subsequent provenance history in China and the United States. Volume Two provides the first complete transcription of the Zidanku Silk Manuscripts in their entirety together with reproductions of the original manuscripts. The transcription is accompanied by comprehensive annotations, with full paleographic and philological analysis of the texts. An English translation of the texts has been added by Professor Donald Harper. For the first time, the Zidanku Silk Manuscripts can

This book containing lectures and review on Shakespeare’s work has met a need long felt by the Chinese college students, especially those in the department of foreign languages and literature. The life of Shakespeare are well selected and the lectures beautifully written. Thus it will serve not only as an introduction to Shakespeare, but also as a good text-book for those beginners who study Shakespeare both in the Chinese colleges and universities. Professor Lee is to be credited painstaking work in shooting the two birds with one stone. It is really an excellent brief work and a fresh approach to the Shakespearean study. 本書為全英文書。內容收錄了莎士比亞作品講義和評論的書籍，滿足了許多外語和文學系學生長期以來的需求。書中對莎士比亞生平的選段精挑細選，講義文筆優美。因此，它不僅可以作為莎士比亞入門讀物，也可以作為大學中莎士比亞研究初學者的優秀教材。李教授的辛勤付出值得稱讚，可謂一舉兩得。這真是一部精煉而優秀的莎士比亞研究著作，為莎士比亞研究提供了一種全新的視角。

Grounded in a desire to bring back to life rare items from the University of Hong Kong’s Fung Ping Shan Library that are entwined within the world of music and to place them in a context of books and images in American, British, and other Asian collections, Chinese Music in Print views the library as a repository not of information but of artifact, and then uses these artifacts as a means for generating scholarly narrative. It begins by assessing seminal texts in the Confucian canon set against the delicacy of the concubine and amanuensis Shen Cai’s calligraphy and poetry. Confucianism was itself a crucial aspect of courtly life, and an exploration of its ritual is the book’s second theme. Vernacular genres of opera and song are represented in the third chapter, while the Great Sage returns in the fourth for an exploration of the repertoire and richness of his favourite instrument, the qin. The final chapter ends the journey with discussion of the legacy of generations of Europeans who

◎ In the night sky, those shining stars may be in the past tense. Those dark may no longer be nothingness, but the distance is too far, and the light is still galloping. ◎ The thermal process is a part of the space state. The order is from the hot in the past to the cold in the future, and the direction is from the inside to the outside. ◎ The time order is from tomorrow to today to yesterday, that is from future to past. Time and space are reverse loops. So the direction of time is from outside to inside.

▎James C. Ma Mr. Chungliamg Ma or James C. Ma received his B.A. in English at the National Cheng Kung University in 1964. After his graduation, he was an English teacher at Nantou Senior High and later, teaching assistant at NCKU. He earned his Master’ degree from the University of Oregon in 1971 and taught English at the Taipei College of Business for two years. In 1978, he was conferred Doctor of Education from Southern Illiois University. Having returned to NCKU in 1979, he taught as associate professor and later as professor. Afterwards, he was appointed Head of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Dean of Discipline, Dean of Students, and Head of Graduate Institute of Education. After his retirement from NCKU in 1999, he was invited to start his second career at the Leader College of Management, a privately-funded institution of higher learning in Tainan. He set up the Department of Applied English and the Office of the Studen

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

This is the anecdotal story of Clive Grossman SC and his travels from his birthplace in Hackney in London during the Second World War to what was then Southern Rhodesia. He describes his life in Rhodesia and what later became Zimbabwe, growing up there, schooling, working as a clerk then university in Cape Town, practice at the Bar, his time in the military, and eventually his trip to Hong Kong which resulted in an invitation to work in the Attorney General’s Office and a life thereafter at the Hong Kong Bar.

It represents one of the finest traditions in Chinese culture: the tradition of creativity, of the freedom of thought, freedom of spirit and freedom of the imagination. These are the characteristics of Hong Kong literature. The Best China, an expression traditionally used to refer to the finest crockery brought out when one is entertaining special guests, has been adapted here to mean the best chinese tradition of free-thinking discursive prose. This anthology of essays from Hong Kong and the diaspora, ranging across the past hundred and seventy years, records the intellectual ferment that has characterized the city since its founding in 1842, sometimes restless and questioning, sometimes meditative and lyrical, buoyed by an all-pervasive and indomitable spirit of freedom.

This book, written by an internationally acknowledged pioneer in endocrine surgery, is intended as advice for aspiring medical professionals, in particular for young people from around the world who are hoping to attend one of the great medical schools in the US or the UK, such as Harvard or Oxford. In clear, concise language, Dimitrios Linos explains the steps one needs to take to get into a top medical school, succeed as a resident, and become a board certified doctor. Drawing on his many years of experience, Linos discusses the career paths for practicing physicians, how to avoid burnout, and the importance of finding a work-life balance. This is an honest, engaging and thoughtful book, written in an encouraging manner from someone who knows personally the struggles and triumphs of being a doctor and who wants to help others become "the best physician in the world." --------------- Professor Linos has eloquently delivered his advice for aspiring physicians. To Dr. Linos’ exhortat

Comfort Women Activism follows the movement championed by pioneer activists in Japan to demonstrate how their activism has kept a critical interpretation of the atrocities against women committed before and during World War II alive. The book shows how the challenges faced by the activists have evolved from the beginning of their uphill battles all the way to contemporary times. They were able to change social attitudes and get their message across. Yet the ambiguous position of post–World War II Japan’s government—which has consistently rejected any sign of guilt over its imperialist past—has kept the activists on their toes. Pivotal and serendipitous turning points have also played a crucial role. In particular, in the early 1990s, the post-Soviet world order assisted in creating the appropriate conditions for the movement to gather transnational support. These conditions have eroded over time; yet due to the activists’ fidelity to survivors, the movement has persisted to this day.

In The Making of Macau’s Fusion Cuisine: From Family Table to World Stage, Annabel Jackson argues that Macanese cuisine cannot be seen as a unique product of Portuguese colonialism in southern China. Instead, it needs to be understood in the context of Portugal’s culinary footprint in Asia and beyond. She contends that the culinary cultures of other Portuguese colonies in Asia and Africa also influenced the cuisine in Macau. Macanese cuisine plays a role in evoking a sense of Macanese identity within Macau as well as in the Macanese diaspora. As the Macanese have increasingly defined themselves as an ethnically and culturally distinct group, their cuisine has growingly been seen as a critical identifier of cohesion and difference. The book shows how Macanese cuisine is moving from being an everyday production of food in a domestic setting to something more symbolic and ceremonial. It also argues that the practice of recipe sharing, historically controversial among the Macanese, is now

Water Driven presents stirring tales from around the world recounting humankind’s endeavours to solve water crises. Our creative solutions in the face of adversity have driven agricultural, industrial, and technological revolutions, creating some of the most iconic cultural landscapes, ranging from rice paddies to reservoirs and from wells to windmills. Today, rapidly growing urban populations are competing for a shrinking share of a finite water supply. The number of cities on the brink of running dry or, like Hong Kong, surviving from day to day by importing the bulk of their water, is alarming. The pressure is on to pursue a new, environmental revolution that will inspire the next generation of more sustainable, water-driven cultural landscapes.

The Silk Manuscripts from Zidanku, Changsha (Hunan), are the only pre-Imperial Chinese manuscripts on silk found to-date. Dating to the turn from the 4th to the 3rd centuries BC (Late Warring States period), they contain several texts concerning basic cosmological concepts, including one manuscript (Manuscript 1) with a diagrammatic arrangement and surrounded by pictorial illustrations. As such, they constitute a unique source of information complementing and going beyond what is known from transmitted texts. This is the first in a two-volume monograph on the Zidanku manuscripts, reflecting almost four decades of research by Professor Li Ling of Peking University. While the philological study and translation of the manuscript texts is the subject of Volume Two, this first volume presents the archaeological context and history of transmission of the physical manuscripts. It records how they were taken from their original place of interment in the 1940s and taken to the United States in

Thirty-seven eminent scholars and practitioners from Asia and the United States have come together to comprehensively assess leading copyright cases from eight major Asian jurisdictions.

This is a novel, not a text book, although the reader may like to use some of the content of this book for German language teaching or learning. This is a novel that is intended to serve a dual purpose: For reading pleasure and for picking up and/or boosting one’s existing knowledge of German. The book should be read chapter by chapter, starting from Part I all the way to the end of Part II, as the story and the progression of the language instruction and discussion follow a linear thread. As far as the story goes, the reader will find the two main characters, William and Becky from Hong Kong, both college students who have just completed their first year of a degree programme and are now on exchange to University of Freiburg in Germany for a semester – August to December, which eventually turns out to be a bit longer, extending to end of February. This is part of an internationalization programme that they are going through and capitalizing on. On arrival in Germany their first stop

When Liu Bang, the eponymous protagonist of this novel, set out to conquer all under Heaven, he was already 47 years old. A medium-built, foul-mouthed peasant with a reputation as a ne’er-do-well, a womanizer, and a drunkard, who, though literate, never cared much about literature, he seemed to have a slim chance at success at a time when all the heroes in the realm contended for power and dominance. Against all odds, he defeated his rivals to found the Han dynasty, and quelled the numerous rebellions that challenged his rule. 本書以史實與故事兼容之手法，描述歷史人物劉邦以平民出身，卻能扭轉情勢爭奪天下的經過。 好評推薦 Praises for Heavenly Khan: An engrossing fictionalized history that examines an ingenious and powerful Chinese ruler.--Kirkus Reviews A new historical legend to stand alongside Alexander the Great and Napoleon.--San Francisco Book Review A deftly written and truly riveting work from beginning to end, Heavenly Khan: A Biography of Emperor Tang Taizong is an extraordinary and solidly entertaining story

The Jews first arrived in China during the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD) and settled as businessmen, civil servants and professionals. They assimilated into Chinese society and lost their Jewish character. The next wave came in the mid-19th century with the opening of the treaty ports and settled in Shanghai. They went into trading, especially opium, and diversified into property, manufacturing, finance, public transport and retail. Another Jewish community settled in Harbin after the opening of the China Eastern Railway in 1903. They also prospered in trading and business. Both communities built synagogues, schools, social clubs and welfare institutions. During World War Two, 25,000 Jews from Nazi-occupied Europe took refuge in Shanghai, one of the few cities in the world open to them. Many received visas from Asian diplomats who defied their governments to issue them. The Japanese military refused the Nazi demand to carry out ‘the final solution’ of the Jews in Shanghai. After 1945, infl

Why is Selflessness a way to Wisdom? This book is a real story, but more than that it is also a book for academic life education purpose. It first contains real stories from eleven suicide prevention telephone hotline volunteers of the Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong (SBHK) who had been serving for more than 25 years. They came from all walks of life such as engineer, businessman, teacher, nurses and housewife. There were episodes of unforgettable conversation between volunteers and clients, stories of how volunteer managed the situation when a suicide attempt was ongoing at the other end of the phone. Based on these stories, the author, who are also a long-serving volunteers of SBHK himself, combined with several academic references to explore relationships between empathy, selflessness, virtues, transcendence, wisdom and Eudaimonia (ultimate happiness) which human being should be aware of and to try to understand. This book consists of two parts. The first part is a series of stor

Tracing its origins back to 1822 in Whampoa, the Mariners’ Club in Hong Kong was established to meet a specific need for an Anglo-Chinese society defined by that most dubious of activities, seafaring. Its creation was anything but straightforward, and in this can be seen the mutable and often tortuous relations between the various religious bodies, the local population, the transient sailors, the emerging captains of industry, and the growing regulatory reach of the colonial government. The club evolved through many embodiments and witnessed the growth of Hong Kong from a collection of mat-sheds on the foreshore, through colony to its current status. Throughout its turbulent past it has been occasionally marginalized but has always served as an important base for the key actors in the main commercial activity in Hong Kong: seafarers. This is a history of one of the most enduring institutions of Hong Kong, and the first of its kind. Using the Club’s own records as well as a wide rang

Recent discoveries of bronze ritual vessels from ancient China provide the ground for this collection of essays, which focus in particular on the nature and patterns of family lineages as seen from these artifacts found in tombs throughout north China. Based on careful readings of the inscriptions on the bronze vessels, the editor and his eight contributors reconstruct the genealogies, kinship structures, political identities, and relationship networks of leading families and individuals from Bronze-Age China. The rich scholarship also contributes to our understanding of the archaeology, chronology, warfare, and legal structures of ancient China. ************ The bronze inscriptions from ancient China are far too important to be left to the specialized archaeologists alone. Professor Shaughnessy and his group of leading practitioners of the arcane art of teasing out the meaning implicit and explicit in these extraordinarily difficult—often only recently discovered—inscriptions allo

Advertising is something which we are exposed to from a young age and which can affect us in many different ways. Centered around the question “Does advertising improve society?” this volume explores the impact and issues of advertising and questions its social responsibility, with a focus on Hong Kong society. The collection of essays offers a broad view of the interaction between society and advertising, from an introduction to semiotic studies, exploring the use of gender stereotypes to the employment of brand placement as a new form of product promotion. Written by professors of advertising with experience from both within the industry and from international research, this is a senior level textbook designed to augment any studies in advertising, marketing, public relations or media studies.

In this handy book, Icy Lee and Paul Sze openly share their stories as nonnative English speaking educators in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). This collection of teachers’ stories provides a source of inspiration for both native and nonnative speaking professionals in the field, encouraging them to re-examine key issues in the profession and to reflect on their own practice critically. "Voices from the Frontline: Narratives of Nonnative English Speaking Teachers is a must-read for anyone in TESOL as it brings power through stories to inspire teachers, native or nonnative alike, to reflect, recharge and re-imagine what they do by confronting challenges with problem solving tactics, and devoting themselves to the profession with enthusiasm and passion." —Jun Liu, Georgia State University " 'Nativeness' is no magic bullet for effective and successful language teaching. Icy Lee and Paul Sze's exhilarating accounts of their learning trajectories and teaching exper

Do you know why there have been so many problems in various parts of the world? In furtherance of their colonial interests, British politicians from time to time wrote national borders for other peoples. They did so in the Balkans, in Africa and in the Middle East. They even drew the border between China and India. Such borders were very often not based on the conditions on the ground. This sowed the seeds of future conflicts. Open your eyes and be open-minded, learn history from different perspectives. Hear the other side, reflect on our own position, independent thinking, say no to double standard. What have we learnt from history? The Great Flood of Yahweh killed almost all living things (including the lovely boys and girls in China). Is this not genocide? In the Conquest of Canaan, did Yahweh not instruct his Chosen People to embark on genocide? Are these really consistent with the all-loving Christian God? God must have been very upset by so many people claiming to be Christia

This book presents, for the first time in English, a collection of speeches delivered by Wen Jiabao, China’s Premier from 2003 to 2013, at the six successive Summer Davos Forums held in China from 2007 to 2012, his special address at the 2009 World Econom

More than any other treasure, Shijing 詩經 contains the historical roots of China, from which much of modern culture grew. From a lovelorn young man to an aging woman spurned by her wedded husband, from an elder statesman admonishing a young sovereign, to foot-soldiers facing the unspeakable fate of sacrificial burial, the love and war in Shijing serves as a key to unlock the cultural roots of Ancient China. The book presents the reader with a fascinating glimpse of the peoples of Ancient China by analyzing many poems in Shijing and discussing aspects of culture and events reflected in the poems from a wide range of disciplines, including archeology, ethnography, history and linguistics. Reading this book will enhance the general reader’s knowledge of Chinese culture as well as familiarity with the language as a “bare-bone”. Minimalist English translation is used which enables readers to get closer to and gain a better sense and flavor of the original text.

Competition is Fierce, 2013 Taiwanese Industry Expects Transition Global economy, surviving from the impact of the previous financial crisis, is now presenting a slow-to-moderate growth rate in 2013. Taiwan is now facing the pressure from regional economy expansion, new threats from Asia’s newly developing countries and competition from Japan/Korea with their strong industrial vertically integrated power. Moreover, there is a trend for those major western multinational companies to move their overseas manufacturing and technical services back to their mother lands, creating a new face of the global supply chain. More severe industrial competition is being expected. As such, Taiwan needs to aggressively proceed with its own industry structural transformation concentrating on the industries, investment, human resources and industrial efficiency. One of the government efforts could be made to continue building the industrial intelligent information service system through the mechanism of

目錄 自序 Preface 從繪畫到攝影的藝術革命 A Creative Journey from Canvas to Shutter 香江暮霧 Hong Kong at Dusk 海山欲雨 Guishan Rain 晴山瑞雪 Seasonal Snow 沙山暮暉 Sand Mountains at Dusk 漠原無盡 Endless Desert 草山秋晴 Grass Mountains in Autumn 漩渦 Whirlpool 夏溪深翠 Summer Stream 石瀨鳴泉 Roaring Current 碧巖飛瀑 Waterfall 綠波寒禽 Birds in Winter 湖山麗影 Reflections 寒溪湧翠 Winter Green 明溪秋樹 Autumn River 明潭清曉 Pool at Dawn 悠游 Frolicking 深谷清秋 Autumn Ravine 滿林秋色 Autumn Color 黃林映翠 Yellow Forest Reflecting Green 翠陀高秋 Height of Autumn 胡楊清趣 Poplar Forest 榮與枯 Boom and Bust 千里楊林 Dense Poplar Forest 綠茵野趣 Green Fields 遙山雪霽 Snow-topped Mountains 雲沙遠眺 Clouds and Sand 斜陽疊色 Folded Colors at Dusk 疊沙伏影 Hidden Shadows 沙波 Sand Waves I 沙波 Sand Waves II 光與影 Light and Shadow 塔沙無垠 Sand Towers 光與影 Light and Shadow 石痕 Stone Ripples 永結同心 Together Forever 柿園秋色 Persimmon Orchard inAutumn 春信 Spring 梅丘浮翠 Plum Hill 清江萬古情 Eternal River 綠渚夕暉 Islets at Dusk 迴塘佳趣 Curving Dykes 日出而作 Sunrise 水光霞色 Water Reflections at Twilight 飛雲齊天 Clouds in Flight 山在虛無飄渺間 Mountain Revealed 雪路 Sno

Chinese planters,farmers and labors have left an indelible imprint on Malaysia's agricultural economy.With great effort and creativity,they opened jungles,converted disused mining land,and transformed the wilderness into rich farms and plantations that grew every crop of economic and social importance.Complementing their efforts,Chinese traders,industrialists and researchers linked agricultural to commerce and agro-based industry.In the process,the Chinese agriculturist and their trading and manufacturing counterparts made valuable contributions not only to national but world development. This book covers all areas of their pursuits,from lowland rice planting to highland flower farming,from small vegetable gardens to large rubber and oil palm plantations,and from trading to downstream agro-based activities.The book combines historical information with original insights from personal interviews to produce a captivating 200-year chronicle of the lives and work of generations of Chinese w

In 2018, authorities in Hong Kong seized a shipment from smugglers that contained 88 dead pangolins. Where did these animals come from, and why were they killed? Where were they going? Who was responsible? In classic true crime fashion, the book examines evidence, suspects, and legal perspectives related to this specific case and, through it, the plight of pangolins globally. The chapters detail the lives and natural history of pangolins across Africa and Asia while exploring clues that may reveal who is responsible for the endangerment of the species. The book also explores speculation surrounding the possible role of pangolins in the emergence of COVID-19 and, more broadly, the relationship between wildlife trade and zoonotic disease. The resulting tale is one of conservation researchers, public health experts, and global organizations across Asia, Africa, North America, and Europe fighting to create a world in which pangolins can thrive again.

This is the story of Blue, a T-Rex who navigates the life of being an investment banker. Blue adapts to the customs, lingo, and schedule of his workplace culture, offering humorous insights into the struggles of fitting in and changing. As time goes on, Blue finds that he misses the jungle he came from and his dinosaur friends, and questions the tedious cycle of meetings, overtimes, and early mornings, sparking a reflection on the true meaning of his dreams. This T-Rex’s story is meant to represent the sharp reality many young adults find when they actually achieve their dreams. Whether that is a dream career, college, or relationship, the magic of the dream is often not as it seems. This is not to discourage people from pursuing their dreams, but to show that dreams bend, change, and shift over time.

Noel Croucher was a legend in his own time – a raconteur, yet a recluse, conventional yet eccentric, extremely rich yet mean to himself. And all the while, he had a secret penchant for philanthropy. From simple beginnings in England, he arrived in Hong Kong at the turn of the century to live through eight decades of change on the China Coast. Mystery surrounded Noel Croucher. Seen as tightfisted by some yet loved by others, he endowed Hong Kong with its richest academic charity in the Croucher Foundation. He became Commodore of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club and Chairman of the Stock Exchange. To many, he was a throwback to the glory days of empire. Yet he battled prejudice to get ahead in the colony. That era has now passed. This fresh look at the lives lived on the Coast – through Noel Croucher’s life story – brings out the realities of those times. Hundreds of interviews, thousands of letters and extensive research in Britain and Hong Kong, together with access to the unique Carl

“In order to afford their readers optimal access to a text that has been poorly understood and unfairly denigrated over the years, in addition to their definitive English translation and their critical Chinese text, Ian Johnston and Wang Ping have provided us with the broadest interpretative context imaginable.” —ROGER T. AMES Peking University The Liezi is a work attributed to the Daoist Lie Yukou, who, according to the traditional account, lived during the later part of the fifth and first part of the fourth centuries BCE. This places him between the first wave of philosophers of the pre-Han “Hundred Schools” (notably Lao Zi, Confucius, Mo Di, and Deng Xi) and the second wave, from mid-fourth to the end of the third centuries BCE. Thus, he may be said to have responded to the former and prefigured the latter. The Liezi we have today is the recension by the Xuanxue (Dark Learning, third to fifth centuries CE) scholar Zhang Zhan and is accompanied by Zhang’s commentary, which is a ph