Needham’s Dialogical Vision: Understanding Science as a Multi-Civilizational Outcome (23-25 March 2023) Needham’s Dialogical Vision: Understanding Science as a Multi-Civilizational Outcome (23-25 March 2023)

Welcoming Remarks

On behalf of the Conference Co-Organizers, I am honored to warmly welcome you to Hong Kong, trust that your stay here will be a most pleasant, safe, and rewarding one, and that you will find time to explore the rich cultural heritage of Hong Kong, intellectually and culturally before your departure!

The Conference will focus firstly on the Needham's Dialogical Vision: Understanding Science as a Multi-Civilizational Outcome as presented by over 20 distinguished scholars in the field at HKUST during the first 2 days. The themes are to explore the rise of Modern Science, not just Western- centric, but a mixture of ancient Chinese, Indian, Arabic and Persian and other civilizations. The planned multi-panel discussions should offer excellent platforms for wholesome intellectual discussions.

The Conference will end with The 13th Joseph Needham Memorial Lecture Series on the third day, 25 March 2023 at the Hong Kong Palace Museum for the particular reasons below.

During his ice-breaking visit to China in 1943-46, Dr. Needham together with his then newly hired assistant H.T. Huang (Huang went to Oxford in 1944, received his PhD and eventually a close collaborator the SCC Vol.6: Food Fermentation Technology; also served as Deputy Director of the Needham Research Institute in the late 1980s) embarked on a long and strenuous trip to Dunhuang in a charcoal-fired truck that frequently broke down along the rough terrains.

The Dunhuang trip contributed immensely to Dr. Needham's conversion from his active biochemical research into the studies of ancient Chinese science and technology, origins of the monumental series Science and Civilisation in China.

On behalf of the Organizing Committee, we are indebted to the generous financial support from the Bei Shan Tang Foundation, Croucher Foundation, and Jao Studies Foundation. Moreover, we would like to express our appreciation to The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology for co-hosting the Needham Conference and the Jao Tsung-I Petite Ecole and the Hong Kong Palace Museum for co-organizing the 13th Joseph Needham Memorial Lectures.

Peter L. Lee, Ph.D.
Chairman, Joseph Needham Foundation for Science & Civilisation (JNFSC) &
Conference Organizing Committee

Advisory Committee
Professor Martin K. JONES
Chairman of the Needham Research Institute and Professor Emeritus of Archaeology, University of Cambridge
Professor LEE Chack Fan (李焯芬)
Director of the HKU – Jao Tsung-I Petite Ecole (JTIPE)
Professor Wei SHYY (史維)
Former President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and
Director of JNFSC
Professor WANG Gungwu (王賡武)
Former Chairman of the East Asian Institute and University Professor, National University of Singapore; Vice Chancellor / President of HKU and former Director of JNFSC
Professor Nancy Yuk-Yu IP (葉玉如)
President of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)
Professor Xiang ZHANG (張翔)
President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong (HKU)
Organizing Committee
Dr. Peter L. LEE (李勵生)
Chairman of JNFSC
Dr. Arun BALA
Senior Advisor, JNFSC, & Conference Chair
Professor Christian DANIELS
Professor Emeritus, HKUST
Professor MEI Jianjun (梅建軍)
Director of Needham Research Institute (NRI)
Professor Yang WANG (汪揚)
Vice-President for Institutional Advancement, HKUST
Professor Andrew COHEN (高漢安)
Director of Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), HKUST
Professor Naubahar SHARIF
HKUST
Professor Raymond W.K. LAU
Senior Advisor, JNFSC
Dr. Bill M. MAK (麥文彪)
Needham Research Institute (NRI)
Director of Chinese Research Center, The ISF Academy
Ms. Celine LEE, Secretariat Coordinator
JNFSC
Acknowledgement

The Organizers of the Needham Conference are ever grateful to

The Bei Shan Tang Foundation, Croucher Foundation, Jao Studies Foundation (JSF), and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology for their support and most generous donation

HKUST for supporting and printing the program booklets

The Bei Shan Tang Foundation
The Bei Shan Tang Foundation


Jao Studies Foundation (JSF)
Jao Studies Foundation (JSF)


Croucher Foundation
Croucher Foundation


The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology


 

Hong Kong Palace Museum in West Kowloon for providing venue assistance to the Joseph Needham Memorial Lecture Series

Hong Kong Palace Museum
Hong Kong Palace Museum @ West Kowloon