The Confucius Institute for Scotland in the University of Edinburgh

Dr Aaron Moore from the University of Manchester will speak on the topic: ‘Modernizing and self-fashioning: technologies and techniques of Chinese war diary writing, 1911-1945’as part of the Seminar Series in Economic and Social History organised by the School of History, Classics and Archaeology

Aaron Moore (PhD Princeton 2006) is a specialist in modern East Asian history. His research, transnational in approach, primarily involves the critical study of subjectivity and diary writing during the Second World War, including texts written by Japanese, Chinese, and American servicemen. He is also working on nineteenth century Japanese anthropology, children`s writings and language, work diaries in 1950s mainland China, and the intersection between popular Chinese, Japanese, and Russian genres such as science fiction with broader discourses on social management, gender, technology, and the body.

The seminar takes place on Wed 20 January, 5 p.m., Room 108, William Robertson Building, George Square. All welcome

For further information, please contact n.zahedieh@ed.ac.uk

Eric Schwitzgebel, Professor of Philosophy, University of California at Riverside will present a talk entitled `An Empirical Perspective on the Mencius-Xunzi Debate about Human Nature`

Mencius and Xunzi were two of the early followers of Confucius with polarised opinions on the essential nature of humankind.
Our speaker, Eric Schwitzgebel, Professor of Philosophy at University of California at Riverside, is a prolific writer and a popular and accessible speaker. His areas of interest include philosophy of psychology; philosophy of mind; cognitive development; philosophy of science; classical Chinese philosophy; epistemology; perceptual and cognitive psychology; and metaphilosophy.

The Confucius Institute for Scotland is delighted to have secured him to present this talk on Tuesday 19 January in the Confucius Institute from 6pm. To reserve a seat please email info@confuciusinstitute.ac.uk.

This talk while self-contained is linked to a seminar by Eric Schwitzgebel on the following evening, Wed 20 January. This will be held in the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences. Entitled `The Moral Behavior of Ethics Professors: Empirical Evidence`

Visible Secrets: Hong Kong`s Women Filmakers season starts at the Edinburgh Filmhouse on 15 January and offers six movies from a range of Hong Kong filmakers.

Dates and titles of the movies are:

Fri 15 Jan at 6.00pm Wonder Women /Nui yan boon sik. Barbara Wong • Hong Kong 2007 • 1h48m • 35mm Cantonese with English subtitles • 15. Cast: Gigi Leung, Fiona Sit, George Lam. Timed for the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover, Wonder Women follows Joy (Gigi Leung) through the major events of the decade including the Asian financial crisis and SARS.

Mon 18 Jan at 5.45pm Anna & Anna
Aubrey Lam • Hong Kong 2007 • 1h35m • 35mm Cantonese and Mandarin with English subtitles • 15. Cast: Karena Lam, Lu Ye, Tender Huang.

Karena Lam plays Anna, a successful businesswoman who meets someone who looks very much like her. Heavily influenced by Kieslowski’s The Double Life of VŽronique, Anna & Anna succeeds in finding its own voice and explores what might happen if we met another version of ourselves on a different route through life.

Thu 21 Jan at 6.15pm Ming Ming

Susie Au • Hong Kong 2007 • 1h45m • 35mm Cantonese and Mandarin with English subtitles • 15. Cast: Zhou Xun, Tony Yang, Daniel Wu.

The debut feature from renowned commercial and music video director Susie Au. It follows Ming Ming (Zhou Xun) as she steals from Underworld boss Cat, hoping to use her ill-gotten gains to flee with D (Daniel Wu), a boxer she has fallen in love with. While fleeing from Cat’s henchmen, Ming Ming runs into Nana, her doppelganger.

Fri 22 Jan at 6.00pm The Way We Are Tin /shui wai dik yat yu ye

Ann Hui • Hong Kong 2008 • 1h31m • 35mm Cantonese with English subtitles • PG. Cast: Paw Hee-Ching, Leung Chun-lung.

This quietly understated film follows the life of mother and son – Mrs Cheung and Ka-On – as they get on with their lives in Hong Kong’s ‘City of Sadness’, Tin Shui Wai. The film won Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director and Best Screenplay at the 2009 Hong Kong Film Awards.

Thu 28 Jan at 6.00pm July Rhapsody /Laam yan sei sap

Ann Hui • Hong Kong 2002 • 1h43m • 35mm Cantonese with English subtitles • 15. Cast: Jackie Cheung, Karena Lam, Anita Mui.

An honest and upstanding teacher of Chinese literature (Jackie Cheung) slowly realises he is falling for one of his students. Whilst this causes him some heartache it slowly brings back to the surface the compromises of his own life that he thought had been left behind in the past.

Tue 2 Feb at 6.15pmVisible Secret /Youling renjian

Ann Hui • Hong Kong 2001 • 1h38m • 35mm Cantonese with English subtitles • 15. Cast: Eason Chan, Qi Shu, Anthony Wong, Sam Lee.

This visually inventive combination of traditional ghost story and comedy proved something of a surprise box-office hit for Ann Hui. Taiwanese actress Qi Shu plays June, a woman whose left eye sees ghosts!

Click here to visit the Filmhouse website for details of ticket prices and to book for one or more of this season from Hong Kong`s women filmakers.

Professor Joachim Gentz of Asian Studies, University of Edinburgh, will be the speaker at the Scotland China Association meeting on Tuesday 8 December.

His topic is `Mirror Discourses in the Argument Between the CCP and the Falun Gong`.

The venue for this is as usual, The Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL at 7pm for 7.30pm

Dr. Li Wengang, a visiting fellow from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences will present a lunchtime seminar entitled, `China-Nigeria Relations: A Chinese perspective` on Wed 11 Nov 2009.

The seminar begins at 1300 and the venue is Seminar Room 5, Chrystal Macmillan Building, 15A George Square. All are welcome.

Dr. Li Wengang is on sabbatical with the Centre of African Studies from the Institute of West Asian and African Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

For more information please email African.Studies@ed.ac.uk.