September 2011Fung Scholars Network Newsletter

International Vision

Leadership

Global Network

Table of Contents

1. Foundation Updates 3

•EstablishmentofLocalChapter-FungScholars(SingaporeChapter) 3

•MigrantYouthProject(Beijing) 4

2.FungScholarsCommunity 5

•FungScholarsLeadershipForum 5

•LLIC2011ClosingCeremony 6

•Pre-DepartureGathering2011 7

•FungScholarsLeadershipConference2011 9

–ConceptpaperbyJeremyPOH,FS2010-11 11

–ConceptpaperbyChenyuZHENG,FS2010-11 16

–ConceptpaperbyJaneYEE,FS2009-10 19

3.RemarkableMoments 24

•AnnieCHAN,FS2010-11 24

• JamesEVAN,FS2010-11 26

•FrankHE,FS2010-11 27

•ChristineLAM,FS2010-11 28

•DanielMETZEL,FS2010-11 29

4.NewsfromHongKongChapter 30

•FungScholarsVolunteeringatShenzhenUniversiade2011 30

•30HourFamine2011 31

5.ExecutiveEditors 32

6.ContactInformation 32

Establishment of Local Chapter - Fung Scholars (Singapore Chapter)

Jamie KO, Singapore Management University, FS2010-11

TakingtheleadfromtheestablishmentoftheFungScholars(HongKongChapter),agroupofSingapore-basedFung

Scholarshascometogether topioneer thesettingupofa localChapter forFungScholars inSingapore.TheVictorand

WilliamFungFoundation(“theFoundation”)hasfundedtheLi&FungScholarshipprogrammeatSingaporeManagement

University,wherescholarshipshavebeenawarded to68FungScholars since2006.TheFoundationhasalso recently

extendedagrant tosetuptheLi&FungscholarshipprogrammeatanotherSingaporeuniversity–NationalUniversityof

Singapore.

TheSingaporeChapter intends tobuildupon theFoundation’s,aswellas theFungScholarsProgram’smission to

providegreaterroomforFungScholars tobuildupandleveragetheFungScholarsnetworkforopportunities tocontinue

learning,growingandcontributingbacktothecommunityafterthescholarshipisawarded.Focusingonthekeythemesof

network,leadershipandcommunityasareasfordevelopmentandgrowth,theSingaporeChapterhopestoengagethegrowing

familyofSingapore-basedFungScholarsinameaningfulmanner.

TheSingaporeChapterisstillinitsinfancyandthereforewelcomesanyideasandsuggestions.

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Contact info: Email: jamie.ko.weiling@gmail.com

Foundation Updates

Jamie was awarded the Li & Fung Scholarship in 2009-10 from SMU. She went to Germany for exchange during spring 2010. She is now working with two other Singapore-based Fung Scholars, namely Jeremy POH (FS2010-11) and Yvonne CHIA (FS2010-11), to establish the Fung Scholars (Singapore Chapter).

TheMigrantYouthProjectisaninitiativeoftheYouthFoundation(YF),aHongKongregisteredcharitabletrustaims

topromotetheholisticdevelopmentofyoungpeoplethroughmedia,trainingprograms,exchangeprograms,andinterpersonal

andcommunityrelationships.Sincemid-2007,YFhasbeenengaging in theProject inBeijing to improve theeducation

andcareeropportunitiesofmigrantyouths inChina,wherehukoubarrierspreventmiddleschoolmigrantstudents from

eventuallyenteringhighschoolandcollege.YFisputtingeffort inexpandingtheirvolunteernetworkanddevelopingthe

“Train-the-Trainers(TTT)”,acomponentoftheProject,forlocalsustainability.TheVictorandWilliamFungFoundation

hasbeensupportingtheinitiativesince2010andstronglyencouragesinterestedFungScholarstotakepartinit.

FungScholarscanvolunteerasa“SchoolTrainer”fortheresilience(RES,Oct-Dec2010)andpath-finding(PAF,

Jan–May2011)programs.Aspartoftheprogramrequirement,theywillattendaseriesof“Train-the-Trainers”activities.

Theywill thenjoinateamofYFprogramstaffandothervolunteerstoprovidetrainingformigrantstudentsfromvarious

migrantprimaryandsecondaryschoolsinBeijing.

It isbelieved thatvolunteersaremosteffective inbringingabout lifechangesamong themigrant students if the

volunteersthemselvesfirstlyexperiencein-depthpersonalgrowth.Thus,allvolunteerswillbeprovidedwithwellplanned

trainingsbyexpert trainersandexperiencedvolunteersfrombothHongKongandBeijing.PleasecontactTheVictorand

WilliamFungFoundationifthereareanyinquiries.

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Migrant Youth Project (Beijing)

ApartfromMr.CHUNGandMs.HO,threeHong

Kong- andmainlandChina-basedFungScholarsare

also invited to share their career experience.They

areManfredWONG(FS2007-08) andPollyFUNG

(FS2010-11)whocomefromthebusinesssectorand

CindyZHENG(FS2008-09) who comes from the

academia.

TwoFungScholars,AngelLAW(FS2009-10)

andCatherineCHAW(FS2010-11)are themastersof

theceremony.

Ms.JoanneHO,ProgramDirector–ProgramforManagementDevelopment(PMD),Li&Fung(1937)ManagementLtd,istheotherspeakerintheForum.Shesharesherexperienceofcareerplanning,thecareerplanningprocess,factorscriticalforsuccessfulcareerplanning,withparticularreferencetothebusinessenvironmentintheServiceAge.

Fung Scholars Leadership ForumLEADERSHIP IN THE SERVICE AGE

24th September, 2011 Hong Kong TheForumisorganizedbyVictorandWilliamFungFoundationon24thSeptember2011attheAuditoriumofLiFung

TowerinLaiChiKok,HongKong.Therearearound70participantsattendingtheevent.

LeadershipintheServiceAgeisoneofthemostforefrontconceptsinbusinessleadershipandmanagement.

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Ms. Joanne HO

Fung Scholars Community

Dr. Victor FUNG giving the welcoming speech to guests and Fung Scholars.

Angel LAW (FS2009-10) and Catherine CHAW (FS2010-11) are the MCs.

The three Fung Scholars – (left to right) Manfred WONG (FS2007-08), Polly FUNG (FS2010-11) and Cindy ZHENG (FS2008-09) – sharing their career experiences.

Ms. Joan HO sharing her insights on successful career planning.

Mr. KM WONG giving closing remarks to conclude the Forum.

Mr. Po CHUNG speaking on Leadership in the Service Age.

Mr.PoCHUNG,Co-FounderandChairmanEmeritusofDHLInternationalLimited,believesthatthePost-IndustrialServiceAgeleadershipmodelisdistinctivelydifferentfromtheIndustrial/ManufacturingAge.InthePost-IndustrialServiceAge,developingcharacterandcultivatingcareinaleaderareasimportantasacquiringskillsintheIndustrialAge.InMr.CHUNG’spresentation,heintroducesanewanalogyofServiceLeadershipandManagementinthePost-IndustrialAge(SLAMPIA),exploringthesignificantconflictofparadigmsinservicemanagementfrommanufacturing,highlightingthewhy,whatandhowfortheparticipantstofullyunderstandthebackgroundoftheshiftandoptimizeoursuperioradvantagetocompeteintheglobalraceofService.

Mr. Po CHUNG

Learn,LiveandInterninChina(LLIC)isasummerinternshipprogrammeorganizedbyTheUniversityofHongKong

(HKU)forHKUandoverseasstudents.LaunchedinJune2008,theprogrammeaimstoprovidestudentswithopportunities

toexperienceworkinginAsia,increasetheirunderstandingofChinesecultureandtoextendtheirprofessionalandpersonal

networksinHongKongandmainlandChina.Notonlywillparticipants’gainexperiencethroughstudyingandinternshipsin

differentindustries,butalsothroughculturalexchangebetweenlocalandoverseasparticipantsfromuniversitiesworldwide.

TheoverseasparticipantsaresupportedbyHKUandfundedbytheVictorandWilliamFungFoundation.

Theprogramincludes2-weekcourseofferedbyHKU’sFacultyofSocialScienceand7-weekInternshipPlacement

with a company inHongKongorShanghai, accommodationduring InternshipPlacement andSocialProgramsand

OrientationActivities.

Tocelebratethesuccessfulconclusionoftheprogramme,aclosingceremonywasorganizedbyHKUon23rdAugust

2011at theCouncilChambersinHKU.TheFungScholarssharedtheir learningexperiencesat theclosingceremony.Mr.

HenryWAI,RegistrarofTheUniversityofHongKong,Mr.KMWONG,DirectorofVictorandWilliamFungFoundation,

andtwocolleaguesfromtheFoundation,Ms.JennyAnnCHANandMs.TracyWONGjoinedthisoccasion.

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LLIC 2011 Closing Ceremony

Fung Scholars of LLIC 2011 gather to share their learning experiences.

23rd August, 2011 Hong Kong

ThankyoutotheVictorandWilliamFungFoundation,ameaningfulandjoyfulevent–thePre-departureGatheringfor

FungScholarswasheldon30thJune2011.

Theeventstartedat2:30pminLiFungTower,HongKong.WhenIarrived,Iwaswarmlywelcomedbythereceptionist.

TheGatheringstartedwithaspeechbyMr.KMWONG,DirectorofVictorandWilliamFungFoundation,introducing

theFungScholarsProgramtoallthenewlyselectedFungScholars.IwasamazedbytheextensivenetworkofFungScholars.

ThereareFungScholars inHongKongand themainlandChina,aswellasoverseascountries likeSingapore, theU.S.

andtheU.K.!WhenIknewthis,IstartedtolookforwardforchancestomeetthoseoverseasFungScholarsandexchange

experiencesandideaswiththem.

30th June 2011 Hong Kong

Zephy LEUNG, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, FS2011-12

Zephy was awarded the Li & Fung Scholarsh ip in 2011-12 f rom the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He will head to University of California, Berkeley for exchange in spring 2012.

Mr. KM WONG is giving an introduction to Fung Scholars Program.

HK-based Fung Scholars of 2011-12 gathering before they depart for exchange.

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Pre-Departure Gathering 2011

Around 100 HK-based Fung Scholars joining the Pre-Departure Gathering.

The linkagebetweenFungScholarswas thenconcretelydemonstrated.FourFungScholarswhowereawarded the

ScholarshipsinYear2010-11sharedtheirexchangeexperienceswiththenewlyselectedFungScholars.Allofthem,withthe

supportfromLi&FungScholarships,hadspentacertainperiodoftimeinoverseascountriessuchastheU.S.andDenmark.

Theygaveussomevaluabletipsaboutlivinginoverseascountries.ThankstothefourFungScholars,Ifeltlikebeingmore

preparedforthecomingexchange!

The lastactivity, thediscussionsession,wasmore interactive.Weweredivided intodifferentgroupsaccording to

thehostcountrywewouldgoto.IjoinedoneofthegroupsoftheU.S.becauseIwouldgototheUniversityofCalifornia,

Berkeley forexchangenextyear. In thegroup, Imetmanynewfriends,andsomeof themwouldevengo to thesame

Universityasme!IstartedtolookforwardtomyexchangestudyintheStatewhichwouldbeinthecomingSeptember!

Afterdiscussingforoveronehour,weexchanged

ouremailaddressesandphonenumbersbeforeleaving.

Iamstillkeepingintouchwithsomeofthemtoday!

ThePre-departureGatheringwas reallyagreat

event. Ihad learnt somuch from the sharingof the

returningFungScholars,andhadmetsomenewfriends

whoarecongenialtome.Iamreallylookingforwardto

thenextFungScholarsevent!

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ThenMs.TracyWONG,AssistantProgrammeOfficerof

Victor&WilliamFungFoundation, introduced the upcoming

activitiesoftheFungScholarscommunity.Ifoundthatthelinkage

amongFungScholarswassostrong.Forinstance,Tracymentioned

that therewerecommitteescalledLocalChapterswhichhelpedto

strengthenthebondingofFungScholarsindifferentcities.

Alex CHAN (FS2009-10) sharing his exchange experience in the UK.

Annie KWOK (FS2010-11) (Left first) sharing her exchange experience in the US during the group discussion.

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Fung Scholars Leadership Conference 2011

How Real is the East and West Divide in Leadership: Asian Perspectives on Leadership Development

29th April – 1st May, 2011 Cambridge, MA, USA

The4thFungScholarsLeadershipConferencewas

heldon30April2011inCambridge,MA.Therewerepre-

conferenceandpost-conferenceactivities, includinga tour

ofMITandHarvardUniversity,dinnerwithparticipantsof

AsiaVision21AnnualConferenceorganizedbyAsiaCentre

ofHarvardUniversity, career consultationwithHarvard

Alumni,andAmericanhistoricalexplorations inConcord

andLexington.

48 Fung Scholars attending the Conference.

Fung Scholars participating in outings around Boston.

Prof. Anthony MAYO giving the lecture.

Prof.AnthonyMAYO,DirectorofLeadership

Initiative,HarvardBusinessSchool,gavea lecture

on“LeadershipStyleandImpact”.TheConference

was attended by 48FungScholars andFellows

who travelled fromHongKong,MainlandChina,

Singapore,Denmark, England,Canada and the

United States.

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TwoFungScholars,Mr.NormanHO(FS2006-07) andMr.DanielMEZTEL(FS2010-11),both fromHarvard

University,weretheMastersoftheCeremonyduringtheConference.

TheafternoonsessionsawthreeFungScholarspresentedtheirviewson“HowReal is theEastandWestDivide in

Leadership”,withreferenceto theirculturalbackgrounds.ThethreeFungScholarswereJeremyPOH(FS2010-11) from

Singapore,MissJaneYEE(FS2009-10) fromHongKongandMissChenyuZHENG(FS2009-10) fromUnitedStates.

Theirthoughtsareconveyedinthefollowingpages.

Norman HO (FS2006-07)

Daniel MEZTEL (FS2010-11)

(From left to right) Jane YEE (FS2009-10), Chenyu ZHENG (FS2009-10), Jeremy POH (FS2010-11) and Daniel MEZTEL (FS2010-11) standing for Q&A session.

Speakers are ready for the career consultation session.

Fung Scholars are listening to Prof. Anthony MAYO’s lecture on Leadership.

Ms. Sabrina FUNG, Director of Victor and William Fung Foundat ion , g iv ing the Closing Remarks. Reunion - a group photo of Fung Scholars

from Zhejiang University.

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Istronglybelievethat leadershipdiffersacrossdifferenthumanorganizations.

Andhere, Idonotcontend thatsome leadersdonot fosterchange,but leadership

differsbecausetheactions,theprocessesandtheabilitiesofhowleadersbringabout

suchchangesintheirownnichediffer.Leadershipstylesdifferandconsequentlythe

connotationofleadershipdiffersindifferent“specifications”ofeachorganization.

Followingwhich, Idobelieve thatdifferences insocialnormsandculturalvaluesdoexist

betweentheEastandtheWest.Thus,Ichoosetobelievethatthereexistadividebetweenleadership

in theEast, characterizedbyAsian countries such asChina,Korea and Japan, and theWest,

characterizedby theUnitedStatesofAmericaandEuropeancountriessuchasGermanyand the

UnitedKingdom.However, thereare twopointswhichIwould likemyreaders tobemindfulof:

(1)toconcludethatadivideexistsbetweentheEastandtheWestinleadershipisnottoimplythat

leadershipiswhollydifferentbetweenthesetwomajordivisionsassimilaritiesstillexistand(2)that

thedivisioniswhollyrelativebetweentheEastandtheWest.

In thefollowingsubparts, IshallhighlightdifferenceswhichIobserved in the

generalsocialnormsandculturalvaluesbetween theEastand theWest.Following

which,IwillrelatethesedifferencestowhatIperceiveasthedifferentconnotationsof

leadershipbetweentheEastandtheWest,highlightingthedivide.

How Real is the East and West Divide in Leadership –Asian Perspectives on Leadership

Jeremy POH, Singapore Management University, FS2010-11

“Leadership and learning areindispensible from each other.”

- John F. Kennedy

Throughoutmydiscussions,Iwouldliketoremindmyreadersthatdifferencesbetween

theEastand theWestare in relativebutnotabsolute terms.On topof this, Iwould like to

bringmyreaders’attentiontothehistoricaldevelopmentsof theworldwheremanycountries

intheEast,suchasSingapore,HongKong,KoreaandJapanhadbeenpreviouslyoccupiedby

countriesintheWest.Thiswillinevitablyresultinobservedpracticesandnormsthatresembles

thoseoftheWestandappeartobeincontradictionstowhatIamabouttodiscuss.Iurgemy

readers tosetasidesuchcontradictions,for thetimebeing,asoffspringtowesterninfluence.

Suchcontradictionsareirrelevantandpreventsreadersfromcomprehendingthedifferencesthat

Iamabouttodiscuss.

LONG-TERMISM TheEasterners,especiallytheChineseandtheJapanese,emphasizemuch

more inestablishing long termrelationshipsas theyseegreatervalue insuch

relationshipsthanshorterones.Incorporatingthisintobusiness,Easternerstend

toandwanttocreaterelationshipswithstakeholdersandpotentialstakeholders

as early as possible and as long as they can last inorder to achieve their

organizationalgoal. In this sense,Easternerscanbesaid tohavea stronger

culturalvalueoflong-termismthanWesterners.Thisisevidentfromacomment

madebyaDanishundergraduatewhomImetatmycurrentexchangeprogramme

withCopenhagenBusinessSchool: “I amsurprisedathowmucheffort the

ChinesecompanywhichIdidmy internship lastyearput intosustaining the

relationshipwithaclientwhohadrejectedthecompany’sproposal.If thiswas

tohappeninEurope,Iwouldbetaskedtoprepareanotherproposalforanother

clientinsteadofcontinuingmyliaisonwiththepreviousclient!”

The repercussionof long-termism is tomake leadership in theEastmore

supportivethanintheWest.Becauseof long-termism,leaders in theEast tendto

seetheirrelationshipswiththeirfollowers(employeesorcoworkers)aslong-term

andsustainableones.Leadershipin theEast is thuscharacterizedbypatienceand

engagement that isbelievedtonurtureandinculcate therightvaluesinfollowers.

Thesearebelieved toconsequentlyalloworganizations tobebetter inachieving

theirgoals.Asaresult,moreoftenintheEastthanintheWestareleadershipseen

as facilitativeand supportive.More importantly, followersperceive leadersas

individualswhoaregenuine,bothinguidingfollowersinpersonaldevelopmentand

inbuildinganypersonalrelationshipsthatisnotwork-related.Leadersare“teachers”

intheEast.

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SENIORITY AND MENTORSHIP More so thanWesterners,Easterners respect age and seniority.This is, again, especially so

amongst theChineseandtheJapanese.AsEasternersappreciatewhat theyenjoytodaymoreasaresult

of thedoingsandaccomplishmentsof theirpredecessors, theolderandmoresenior individuals in the

organizations, thananythingelse,Easternerscome tovalueageandseniority. Individualsofageand

seniorityarethusdeemedtobeassetsfortheirtacitknowledgeandas“mascots”forattractingtalentsto

theirrespectiveorganizations.

MISTRUST AND SECRECY Compared to theWest, theEast exhibitsmoremistrust and secrecy.Easternershaveagreater

inclinationtohaveaninitialmistrusttostrangers.Evenindealingwithindividualswhomtheyhavebuilt

long-termrelationships,therestillexistsatleastapinchofmistrust.Westernershowever,findthemselves

trustingothersmoreeasily.Thoughthefollowingexamplemaysoundtrivial,I thinkitclearlyshowsthe

differenceintrust levelsbetweenEasternersandWesterners.Acasualconversationduringmyexchange

programmewithafewTaiwaneseandHongKongersrevealedthateventhoughtheyappearfriendlyand

casual infrontof theirroommates, theyarestillapprehensivetothem.Andthis isshownthroughtrivial

actionssuchaslockingtheirpersonaldocumentsandmoneyinadrawer.Comparatively,theircounterparts,

usuallyindividualsfromEuropeancountriesortheUnitedStatesofAmerica,trusttheirroommates.

Closelyassociated toseniority ismentorship.Anditcanbesaid that leadership

in theEast ischaracterizedbysuchmentorship.Seniorsgetretainedinorganizations

for the reasons stated above andmoreoften thannot, these seniorswouldbe in

leadershippositions.Seniorsare thenchargedwith thedutyofmentoringthe juniors.

CharacterizingleadershipintheEast,mentorshipis“morepersonal,morecontinuous,

more tailored to theneedsofan individual, and farmoreencompassing inwhat is

impacted”(Ming-Jer&Danny,2010),with the final referring to tacitknowledge.

Comparethis toleadershipintheWestwhichischaracterizedbyleadershipeducation

and trainingprogrammes, theviewthat leaders in theEastaremoreof“teachers” is

onceagainevidenced.

To add on to this divide, of seeing leaders as

“teachers” in theEast, leadership in theEast canbe

setapartwithaconnotationof tacitness inheritedfrom

mentorship, fromleadership in theWestwhichcarries

agreater connotationof explicitness from the“hard”

educationandtrainingprogrammes.

Easternersalso tend tobemore secretive, especially so in thebusiness

context.Duetomistrust, theyfinditharder toputabsolute trust inothers,beit

employeesorsuperiors.Assuch, theytendtoholdsomethingbackforuseasa

lastresort.TheWest,however,seestrustbeingbuiltupthroughopennessanda

cultureofmutualunderstanding.

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Putting these into thecontextof leadership, leadership in theEast thuscarriesastronger flavorof

“opportunism”.Withmistrustandsecrecy, leaders in theEastaremoreprone tokeepingsomething to

themselves.Thesecanbeknowledgeofcertainfactsorsuggestions.At theendof theday, leadersmight

appeartobeopportunistswhorosetotheoccasionwiththeir“secret”knowledge.Thoughthismaynotbe

true, itpainted“opportunism”onto thebannerof leadership in theEast.Effectively, relatingback to the

previoussubparts,mistrustandsecrecymight toacertainextentnullify the“positive”connotations that

long-termismandseniorityandmentorshipbringabout.

PERSPECTIVE OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT IN ASIA Leadershipdevelopment inAsia, inmyopinion, is influencedbythesocialnormsandculturalvalues

existingintheEast.Thethreediscussedabovearejustfewexamplesofsuchfactors.Inthispart,Ishallshare

myperspectiveofhowcurrent leadershipdevelopment inAsia is influencedbythesefactors. Ioutline the

followingprocessofleadershipdevelopmentbasedonwhatIobservedinSingapore:

1) Detailedselection,wherethequalificationsandpersonaltraitsarebroughttoscrutiny;

2) Mentorship,wheretrainingistailor-madetosuitbothindividualandorganizationneeds;

3) Exposure,whereknowledge,intermsofwidthanddepth,isimpartedtotheleaders.

Oneof themaindisparities that leadershipdevelopment inAsiahas from the restof theworld is

thespeedof theentireprocess.Throughout theworld,businessexecutivesunderstand the importanceof

qualityleadershiptoorganizationalsuccess.InAsia,whereeconomicgrowthis thefastest intheworldand

competition isoneof the strongest,Asiancompanies recognize theneed todevelop leaders

fast.Thevery first stepof selectionseescandidatesbeing rejectedwhen theirqualifications

andpersonality traitsarenot incongruenceto theorganizations.Rarelyare“chances”givento

therejectsandin thisway,preciousorganizationalresourcesareusedonlyontheselectedfew

whoaredeemedtohavethepotential.IncomparisontotheWest,itappearstomethatbusiness

executivesare lessparticular about theprocess speed.This is inferred from the leadership

educationandtrainingprogrammesthatarewidelyavailable.Itappearsthatshouldonebeinitially

evaluated tobenotofa“leader-caliber” leadershipprogrammescanbeemployed to turn the

situation.ThisislessseeninAsia.

Leadershipdevelopment inAsia is also characterizedbymentorship.Mentorship, in

Singapore,seeseveryjunioremployeebeing“attached”toasenioremployee.This isbasedon

thebelief that thiswillbe thefastestwayanewemployee,eithernewtoapositionornewto

theorganization,canadapttoone’sorganizationalrole.Thiscanbesaidtobeconsequentofthe

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beliefthatseniorswithinaorganizationholdstacitknowledgeandarethebestpersonnel

to“educate”newpotentialsorsendthemtoleadershiptrainingprogrammes.Furthermore,

theneedforspeedintheentireleadershipdevelopmentprocessmakesmentorshipthebest

methodasjuniorslearnmoreinashorterperiodoftime.Awidespectrumofknowledge,

both technical and interpersonal, isgainedsimultaneouslywithpractical experience,

greatlyshorteningthetrainingperiod.

Portfolioexposure isalsoverycommoninAsiawherepotentialexecutivesrotate

throughdifferentjobportfoliostogainexposuretothegeneralworkingoftheorganization.

Thiscanbetheindirectresultof thebelief inlong-termism.Asemployeesareexpected

to stay inwithin theorganization fora long timeperiod, it is thusbeneficial for the

organizationtoexposeandpreparethemforfutureleadership.

Asmentioned,differencesbetweentheEastandtheWestarerelative,andthe

aboveshouldnotbemisinterpretedasanabsolutedivisionbetweenboth.Leadershipis

comprehendedbybothEastandWestasprecursortoorganizationalsuccess,andthus

bothsidesseetheneedtoconstantlydiscovernewinsightstoleadership.Lookingback

at theneweconomiccrisis,onemayquestionif it is theresultof leadership issues.

If leadershipisoneof thecontributingfactors,apartfromthefact that“innovative”

andunsustainablefinancial toolsarecreated, thenoneshouldstartquestioning the

leadershipdevelopment thatproducessuch leaders.Perhaps thedifferencebetween

theEastandtheWest leadershipcouldexplainwhysuchcrisisoriginatedfromthe

WestandnottheEast.Moreneedstobelookintosoastogathermoreperspectiveson

leadershipandforustobettergraspleadership.

Reference:Ming-Jer,C.,&Danny,M.(2010).WestMeetsEast:

Toward anAmbiculturalApproach toManagement.

Academy of Management Perspective,24(4),17-24.

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China and the U.S.’s Leadership Divide in Climate Change

Chenyu ZHENG, Princeton University, FS2010-11

Instead of a divide, we need to tap into the leadership of both China and the U.S. in forming an international agreement to solve climate change.

Asaneconomicsmajorandenvironmentalstudiesminor,climatechangeisanissueclosetomyheart.

Therefore,IwouldliketotakethisopportunitytoreflectontheEastandWestdivideinLeadershiponthe

issueofclimatechangeusingChinaandtheU.Sasexamples.

In2010,ChinahassurpassedJapanas theworld’ssecondlargesteconomyafter theU.S.Asafast

growingeconomy,Chinahasalsobecome the largestcarbondioxideemitter in theworldand thushas

receiveda lotofattentionon its role to lead theefforts tomitigate the levelofGreenhousegas in the

atmosphere. ChinaandIndia togetheremit47%of theworld’scarbondioxidetoday.Ontheotherhand,

UnitedStateshashistoricallybeenthelargestcarbondioxideemitterandhascontributedmoretoclimate

changesinceindustrialrevolution.Therefore,theleadershiproleanddynamicsplayofbothChinaandtheU.S.

incombatingclimatechangebecomeespeciallyinteresting.

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LEADERSHIP ROLE AND DYNAMICS PLAY In theissueofclimatechange,Chinahastakenmoreofa leaderrole thantheU.S.,partiallydueto the

differentpoliticalsystem.Chinaisaone-partycountryandtherefore,assoonastheleadersoftheCommunist

partyrealize the importanceofcombatingclimatechangeanddevelopingclean technology,Chinese leaders

takeactionsbymakingcommitmentsand incorporating renewableenergygoals into theFiveYearplans.

Chinahasbecometheleadingbuilderofmoreefficientandcleanercoal-poweredplantsinthelasttwoyears.

Moreover,thewindenergyinChinahasdoubledinthelastfouryearsandChineseleadersaimtodoubletheuse

ofrenewableenergyby2020.Inotherwords,Chinaisgraduallychangingfromthefactoryoftheworldtothe

cleantechnologylaboratoryof theworld.All thesebreakthroughswouldnothappenwithout thecommitment

fromtheChineseleadership.Moreover,moreandmorekeydecision-makers-ChinesemayorsandSOEshave

committedtogreentechnologyandsmartgridstobuildenergysmartChina.Forexample,YangZhoucityhas

officiallyagreedtobecomethefirstSmartGridCityinApril2010.

In theU.S.,althoughPresidentObamahascommitted tomitigateclimatechangeand

advocated theClimateBill,whichwouldrequirea17-percentreduction inglobalwarming

emissionsby2020andsome80percentby2050,relative to2005levels.Obamasaid“it is

goodforoureconomy, it’sgoodforournationalsecurity,and,ultimately, it’sgoodforour

environment.”However,theleadershipalonecannotdecidethefateoftheClimateBill.Inthe

U.S.,everymajorbillhastopassbothSenatorandtheHouseandthereis toomuchpolitics

involvedtodelaythebill. In theend,ClimateBillhasfailedtogetpassedtohaveanyreal

effect,suchassettingupaCapandTradesystemintheU.S.Therefore,comparedtotheU.S.,

Chinaseemstobetakingamoreeffectiveandtangibleleadershiproleincombatingclimate

change.

Anotherfactorthataffectsleadership’scommitmenttoclimatechangeis thedifference

ofleaders’academicbackground.InChina,mostleadershaveengineeringorsciencedegree,

but intheU.S., themajorityof leadershavelaworpoliticsdegree.Toformtherightpolicy

aroundclimatechange, it iscrucial to firstunderstand thesciencebehindglobalwarming.

Inthissense,ChineseleadersareinabetterpositiontoaddressclimatechangethantheU.S.

leaders.

Insteadof adivide,weneed to tap into the leadershipofbothChina and theU.S. in formingan

internationalagreement tosolveclimatechange.Only ifChinaandtheU.S.getonboardwould therestof

theworldmakeconvincingcommitments.Todesignaneffectiveanddurablefuture internationalagreement

onclimatechange,itisimportanttounderstandthepositionstakenbymajoremittersonemissionsreduction

at themoment.Thedevelopingworld’spositionhasconsistentlybeen resistingbindingcommitments to

reducegreenhousegasemissions.G-77countriesemphasizeondevelopedworld’shistoricalresponsibilityof

greenhousegasemissionsaswellasthebigdifferencebetweencapitaemissionsbetweenthetwoworlds.As

thelargestdeveloping-countryemitter,Chinastillputseconomicdevelopmentasitstoppriorityandfearsthat

targetscouldrestricttheireconomicgrowth.Ontheotherhand,theU.S.currentlyrejectsbindingcommitment

inKyotoProtocolpartiallyduetoitsfearofunfairtradeleakagetodevelopingcountries.Developingcountries

wouldnotbudgeuntildevelopedcountries, suchas theU.S.makeboldandconvincing steps to reduce

emissions.

18

COLLABORATION IN CLIMATE CHANGE AftercomparingChinaandU.S.leadershipstyleinclimatechange,itisimportanttounderstandthat

ChinaandtheU.S.alonecannotsolveclimatechange.WeneedleadersfromtheEastandtheWest,from

developingaswellasdevelopedworld tofightclimatechangetogether.Wecannotrelyononeleader

in thecombatagainstclimatechange,butratherweneedseveral leaders to leadtherestof theworld.

ThatleadstomynexttopiconthemergeofleadershipbetweentheEastandtheWest–inotherwords,

collaborationbetweenChinaandtheU.S.onclimatechange.

Thereareanumberwaystotakeleadershipinclimatechange,suchasimprovingenergyefficiency

anddevelopingcleantechnology.Asthetwolargestenergyconsumers,ChinaandtheU.S.haveashared

interestinenergyefficiency.Energy-savingtechnologiesimplementedinonecountrywillreduceenergy

costs for theotherandbenefitbotheconomies.Moreover,Chinaand theU.S.are theworld’s largest

automobilemarketsandoilconsumers.Workingtogethertoacceleratetheadoptionofelectricvehicles

will improvebothcountries’energysecurityandsaveChineseandAmericanconsumersmoneyatgas

station.

Therefore,collaborationbetweenChinaand theU.S. in leading theefforts to

mitigateclimatechangewillbenefit all countries.Asscientistshavepointedout,

climatechangeisirreversibleandcanleadtopotentiallycatastrophicdisasters,suchas

theshutdownofconveyorbeltandthemeltdownofGreenlandiceberg,whichrequire

seriousattentionfromleadership.Thecombinedresearchexpertiseandmarketsize

ofChinaand theU.S.willprovideanunprecedentedopportunity todevelopclean

technologysolutions thatwill reducecarbondioxideemissionand improveenergy

securitywhileenhancingeconomicgrowthglobally.

CONCLUSION In conclusion,China and theU.S. are the two leaderswho canmake a difference in

combatingclimatechange.Indeed,ChineseleadershipdiffersfromtheU.S.leadershipduetothe

politicalsystem,theacademicbackgroundofleaders,aswellasthedifferencebetweendeveloping

anddevelopedsociety.However, thebestoutcomeforbothChinaand theU.S.wouldrequire

collaborationamongtheleadersofChinaandtheU.S.toleadbyexamplesandtomakeconvincing

commitmentstoreducecarbondioxideemissions,whichChina’sleadershiphasbeenmakingalot

ofprogress.

Onlywhenweunite the leadershipofChinaand theU.S. tocollaborateoncleanenergy

developmentandcarbondioxidereductioncantherestoftheworldbemotivatedtotakeactionin

combatingclimatechange,whichisthecentralenvironmentalchallengeofthe21stcentury.

19

How Real is the East and West Divide in Leadership –

Asian Perspectives on Leadership

Jane YEE, The University of Hong Kong, FS2009-10

“Leadership”, is as simple as a word. But when asked to pinpoint just exactly what it meant, the notion is far more relevant and universal than many might have imagined. Great leadersh ip is no t an exc lus ive phenomenon across the continents.

20

DEFINING THE THEME Beforewemoveonto thegistof thearguments, it is firstnecessary toset the

scopeofmystudy,withoutwhichsolidanchorpointsfortheanalysiscannotbefound.

For thepurposeof thestudy, the term“leadership”shallbeapplied toencompass

differentsocietalsettings- leadership innationstatesettings(political leadership),

economic settings(business leadership) and in theyoungergeneration settings

(developingleadership).

Perhapsa fittingquestionwouldbewhy somepeople succeed to

becomea leaderamongst theirownpeople,anddosoaccordingly in the

EastandintheWestLet’stakeacomparativelenstoattempttoappreciate

the similarities anddifferences in leadership fromAsian andWestern

societies.

Thefocusof thisessaywillbeapersonal interpretationof the issue

ofhowtheEastandtheWestseektoinfluenceeachother,particularlywith

threepremises. First,oneadmits that the“divide”doesexist. Second,

however, the“divide”iserodingawayastheEastandtheWestaredrawn

closer togetherwithamultitudeoffactorssuchas the largelygeneralized

phenomenoncalledglobalization.Atlast,themomentumorspeedatwhich

thischangehasbeen,is,andwillbeexperienced.

Sowhat exactly is “being real”? Taking a second

lookand thought for the themefor the2011FungScholars

LeadershipConference,one thought that itwouldbe really

fairlytoughtogiveasimpledefiniteanswer.Thisisbecause

onebelieves that there isnoblackandwhitedivision that

spellsout thedifferencesbetween leadershipof theAsian

campand thatof theWesterncamp.Thesignificance is to

learn toappreciate thecomplexconfigurationofmeritsand

demerits in leadershipstyleswhichmakeboth theEastand

theWestthriveintheirownglory.

21

For thepurposeof thisstudy, itwouldbeessential tobeacquaintedwith

the following grounded assumptions- the economic, socio, historical and

geographicaldifferencesbetweencountriesof theWestandthoseof itsEastern

counterpartsareinherent.Theyareinfactbuilt-inwiththeenvironmentinwhich

peoplebecomesohabituated.Thesefourfactors,onepresumes,arefourpillars

supportingthenotionthatthereisadivideandexplainthisbelief.

According to theconventionalconsensusofsociologists,Westernersand

Western leadersaresocially trained tobe individualistic,whileEasternersand

Eastern leader are socially influencedby the conceptof community,which

emphasizes collectivity.Stemming from this, one recalls theChineseword

“guanxi”. It is largelyused todescribe thewaybusinessdecisions are run.

“Guanxi” isaunique term thatglorifies the importanceof relational tiesand

bonds.It is influencingdecisionslikewhotocooperatewithandwhotofollow,

etc. Hence, thisconcept isasignificantguidingprincipleforEastern leaders in

decisionmaking,whileitremainslessaffectiveintheWest.

Similarly,anotherasymmetrybetween theEastand theWest is their

economicbackgrounds. Ifwegeneralize thecountries, it isvery likely that

themajorityofWesterncountrieswerefertotodayare“developedcountries”.

Instead,thepaceofeconomicdevelopmentinEasterncountriesvarieswidely

eveningeographicallyproximatecitieslikeBurma,Thailand,thePhilippines,

Singapore,Japan,Mainland,HongKong,etc.Given theeconomicstructural

differences, it indirectly affects the infrastructureof that region.With a

prosperousandresourcefulcity,talentedleadersaremorelikelytobeeducated,

spottedanddeveloped. Yet,somepeoplemaythat in lessdevelopedplaces,

potential leadersmayfindthemselvesmoreinclinetoadaptmeanwhiletarget

totheun-treadopportunitiesthatnooneelsehasidentified.Tosharealittle,

thereisasaying“NecessityistheMotherofInvention”,whichonehasfound,

isverytrue.Hence,perhapsthatiswhythefocushasshifttotheEastinthis

century.Easterncountriesmayhavealotofnewopportunitiesliehiddenand

yettobediscoveredbydaringleaders.

22

Historically, thecolonial legacyandpolitical regimesof themany

Easterncountries, includingSoutheastAsia, isanotherbuildingblock to

support theexistenceof theEastandWestdivide in leadership.Political

leaders played and continue to play an important role in theEast, the

personalcharismafactorisseentobestrongerinthispartoftheworldthan

in the liberaldemocraticWest.Oneextremeexample is theauthoritarian

regimeswhichplaceemphasisondevelopingleaderswhoembodyideology

thatalmosttranscendsthephysicalbeinglikeMaoZeDong.However,the

validityofthisperspectiveisquestionableasitisanoldone.Weexperience

ashiftofboththeEastandtheWest,whichconvergedslowlyinthelastfew

decadesmorerapidlythanever.

Another divide of leadership lies in the geographical

differenceof theEastand theWest.Themotivesbehind leaders

of theEastand thoseof theWestmaybedirectedby theirmere

geographical location. Allowme toshareapersonalexperience

duringmyexchange toMcGillUniversity in2010. Duringmy

exchangestudy,IwasenrolledinacoursecalledtheAsia-Pacific

ForeignPolicy.Havingtakenotherpoliticalsciencecoursesatmy

homeUniversity,Inoticedadistinctdifferenceintheapproachthat

foreignpolicywasreferredto.InHongKong,weusetheterm“East

Asia”whileinNorthAmerica,theterms“Asia-Pacific”or“Pacific

Basin”werebeingused.Thismaysoundnormalandinsignificant.

However, it actually carried an implication for the leaders of

differentcountries. Lookcarefully,onewill realize that“Asia-

Pacific”wasand isalwaysusedby thepresidentsof theUnited

States,becausethistermsubconsciouslyincludedtheUnitedStates

asthememberofthatregion.AsAmericanleaderswantedtodelve

into the fastestgrowing region in thenewmillennium,Eastern

leadersonlywant todevelop solidarityby strengthening their

collectivebargainingpower.TheASEAN+3structureorganizedby

tenSoutheastAsiancountriesandChina,KoreaandJapanisone

of theexamples.Aboutayearago, theJapanesePrimeMinister

proposed theChinesePresidentwith a plan to forma socio-

economicallianceamongst itspolitical leaderssoas tocapture

synergyandchancesformutualcooperation.

23

ANALYSIS & PREDICTION Afterhavingelaboratedonsomeof theexternal factors thatcouldcause

thedivideinleadershipdevelopmentstylesbetweentheEastandtheWest,one

wouldliketobringitastepfurthertochallengetheseconventions.Whenasked

“howreal” is thedivide inEasternandWestern leadership,mystance is this:

Despitethesolidexistenceofdifferencesinleadershipstyles, itwouldbevital

andfairtoacknowledgetheincreasingnumberofemergingcounterexamples.

Inrecentyears,weseemoreleadersfromtheEastarecrossingthecultural

boundaryintotheWestandvice-versa. Personally,onewasfascinatedbythe

world-renownedcomputeranimatedseries“Shrek”. It is supervisedandco-

directedbyRamenHui,aHongKongbornChinese.Hereceivedhisgraduation

attheHongKongPolytechnicUniversityandlatermovedtotheStatestowork,

eventually leading theUS-basedanimation team. Similarly,DirectorAng

Lee,Oscars’BestDirector,hasledthewholeAmericanproduction

team to shoot “BrokebackMountain”, a famouswell-renowned

film. Theseareexcellent illustrationofhowanEastern leaderhas

risen, regardlessofcriticismsandspeculationsamongaWestern

environment. Vice-versa, locally,wewitnesshowtheJewishDr.

AllanZeman, anex-patriot,who successfully reinventedOcean

Park,andout-performedtheexpectationsofmany locals.Perhaps

leaders,regardlessofwheretheyoriginatedfrom,possessacommon

strength–thatisswiftadaptabilitytochanges.

CONCLUSION Onebelieves that in thefuture, theEastand theWest’sdivide in leadershipdevelopmentwill

become lessprominent. It is important tonote that there isno“real” implicationofpositivityor

negativityifadividereallyexistsbetweentheEasttheWest.Wehavemuchtolearnfrombothsides.

It is important tocreateasynergeticrelationshipbygraspinginvaluabledistinctfeaturesnurturedby

theirparticularhistorical,economic,socio,geographicalconstraints.Allinall,leadershipdevelopment

carrieswithitanotionofbloomingfromwhatispreviouslyunknown.Eventhebestuncutdiamondin

theworldisnothingbutarocktothenakedeyeifitdoesnotfindadecentdiamondcleaver.Similarly,

touncover thepotential in thenewgeneration,weneed togive themroomtobecomea righteous

leaderregardlessofwheretheyarefrom.Inthefuture,thesuccessfulleadersarenolongerofparticular

nationality,butarethosewhohavesucceededinlearningthebestfrombothworlds.

24

‘Freshies’ in AustraliaAnnie CHAN, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, FS2010-11 & 2011-12

Remarkable Moments

Lastyear,IspentonesemesterstudyingattheUniversityofCanberra,Australia(CanberraisthecapitalofAustralia).

ItwasmyfirsttimetogotoAustralia!

Annie was awarded the Li & Fung Scholarship in 2010-11 from The Hong Kong Institute of Education. She is selected as Fung Scholars again this year for exchange at York University, Toronto in fall 2011.

First impression of Australia Whenyou thinkaboutAustralia,youmay firstly think

ofKangaroosandKoalas.SomeHongKongpeopleevensay

thereare ‘Australiansymbols’–drinkers,peoplewithpump

bottoms, flies;but I experiencedanothergroupof symbols,

whichIentitleas‘Freshies’–freshdailyproducts,freshairand

refreshinglearningatmosphere.

Aussie English SomeEnglish learnersmayknowthatAustralianpeople like tomake

wordswithsuffixes‘es’or‘ies’(sound /si/)suchasAussie(Australian) and

Ressies (Residences).That’swhyImake‘Freshies’from‘fresh’,whichmeans

thatAustraliamakesmemorefreshandrefreshedthanIaminHongKong.

Photo time!

‘Freshies’ in Aussie

Chocolate dessert set @ KOKO BLACK (No.1 Aussie Chocolate!)

Mixed berries yoghurt (cheaper and fresher than that in Hong Kong!)

25

It ismyhonor tobe selectedasaFungScholarandhavesuchunforgettable

experience.NotonlydidIexploreAustralia,experiencefreshlife,cultureandfood,but

also,more importantly, learndifferent teachingandlearningstylesfromthe lectures

andlecturersofUniversityofCanberra.Thesenewstyles inspiredmeandhelpedme

developmyownteachingstyle,whichisimportanttomyteachingcareerinthefuture.

Fabulous painter@ Flower Exhibition 2010

Six kangaroos were searching another kangaroo outside my house.

(organized by International Exchange team of University of Canberra)

Flower Exhibition 2010

Kangaroos outside MY Ressie

Boat trip

26

Exploring “Why is ‘Asia is the global future’?” James EVANS, University of Oxford, FS2010-11

LLIC 2011 Fung Scholars in Hong Kong

Shanghai at night

James was awarded the Li & Fung Scholarship in 2010-11 from University of Oxford as part of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), under the LLIC Programme organized by The University of Hong Kong. He interned at South-South Global Assets and Technology Exchange (SS-GATE) in Shanghai in the past summer.

“Whyis ‘Asia is theglobal future’?”wewereaskedbyour lectureron thefirstdayofoursummerschool inThe

UniversityofHongKongduringthepastsummer.ThatwasinfactwhatIwasinHongKongtofindout,courtesyoftheLi&

FungScholarship.Summer2011sawthelatestbatchofFungScholarsaspartof‘Live,LearnandInterninChinaProgram’

organizedbyTheUniversityofHongKong;a twoweeksummerschoolfocusingonthepoliticaleconomyofAsia,anda

sevenweekinternshipexperienceineitherHongKongorShanghai.

Withanumberofother interns, Iwasassignedmy internshipplacement inShanghaiworkingwithSouth-South

GlobalAssetsandTechnologyExchange(SS-GATE),ajointsetupbytheShanghaiUnitedAssetsExchange(SH-UAE)

andtheUnitedNationsDevelopmentProgram(UNDP).First impressionsleftuswithanerve-rackingexperiencethough,

withthefirstmeetingwithourbosstransformingintoa‘grillastudent’sessionregardingEconomics101!Howeveritsoon

transpiredthiswasbecauseournewbosswasaparttimeeconomicslecturerinShanghai,andweappearedtohavepassedthe

Apprenticeboardroom-stylegrilling.Indeed,ournewbosstransformedintoourmentor,advisingusonlifechoicessuchas

whethertodoapost-gradorfindajobafteruniversity,aswellasbeingafriend.Inaddition,Iwasprivilegedenoughtoget

theopportunitytohavedinnerwiththeVice-PresidentofChinaDevelopmentBank,ourclientsforthesummerprojects.

LivinginShanghaiprovedbothanexcitingandchallengingexperienceinoneoftheworld’smostdynamicandfastest

growingcities.FrommetrolinesatrushhourtowonderingroundthepeacefulFrenchConcession,thecitycertainlygaveusa

lottooffer!ComingoriginallyfromasmallEnglishvillageofaround100people,Shanghaicertainlyprovedaneye-opener,

andthescaleofthecitymeansIstillfeelIhardlyknowtheplace!

Betweenthe9internsworkingatSS-GATEwecamefrom5continentsandcarried8differentpassports,indicatingthe

highlyinternationalfeeloftheoffice!IndeedflagsofeverycountrygreetvisitorstoSS-GATE,adailyreminderofhowvaried

theworldis.Workingintheofficewasagreatlessonincross-culturalcommunicationandpatience,withahostofdifferentfirst

languagesandworking(orstudying)backgrounds,itstartedasarealchallengetoworktogetherasateam.Despitethis,thetalent

oftheyoungpeopleIwasworkingwithenabledustoproducetwofullprojects-oneofinvestmentpotentialinAfricanelectricity,

theotherinLatinAmerica–whicharesettobeusedinfutureSS-GATEandChinaDevelopmentBankprojects,ahugelyexciting

prospecttothinkourworkcouldhelppotentiallyshapehugefutureinvestments!

Learningaboutanewenvironment,cultureandworking lifeoutside theUKand indeed thewesternworldproved

hugelyrewarding.TheoverallexperiencegrantedbytheLi&FungScholarshipprovedinvaluable,notonlythroughwhat

Ilearntontheinternship,butalsothroughthepeopleImetfromaroundtheworld,theopportunitytotravelandexperience

anotherplace,andgaininganinsider’sperspectiveonemergingAsia.Throughacademic,workingandlifeexperiencethis

summer–adirectresultof theVictorandWilliamFungFoundation’sgenerousdonation–myselfandmycolleaguesand

classmatesfromthe‘LiveLearnandInterninChina’schemehave

hadaplethoraofnewexperiencesandafantasticsummer.

27

A World So Big But So Close Frank HE, Zhejiang University, FS2010-11

AGREATHOST

TheUniversityofHongKongisoneofthetopuniversitiesoftheworld,andit’sofgreat

traditionandfame.I reallywant toexperienceaneweducationmethodaswellas itsunique

culturecombination.Besides,itsdiversityandfreedomforstudentsfascinateme.

On the firstdaywhenIarrivedatHKU, IwasgivenaT-shirt forexchangestudents,

withasentenceonit:thebestyearofmylife.HKUfulfillsitspromise,asittreatsinternational

studentsasfull-timestudents,nearlyallowingustoattendallactivitieswithoutlimitation,and

evenwithsomespecialoffers.Forexample,all internationalstudentsarepermittedtohavean

alumnimentor ifyouapplyforone,andthere’snointerview,whichisrequiredforfull-time

students.Wearearrangedtoliveinhallswithlocalstudents.Libraryresources,distinguished

lectures,sportsequipmentareopenforus.Youwouldn’tfaceanydiscrimination,unfairnessor

embarrassment.Ireallyappreciatesuchkindofgenerosity.

In thepastexchangeyear, it’s thefirst timeIhaveafeeling: theworldwas

neverclosetomebefore.Myfriendsarefromdifferentcornersof theworld;we

wereoftenhavingnicetalksinaglobalscale.Theworldissobig,butit’ssoclose.

It’salsoverydiverse,makingmefeelinsignificantandseparatedfromtheoutside

when I live in themainlandChina. I flew toBoston,met studentsand fellows

fromallovertheworld,butthenextday,IwassittinginalectureroominHKU,

attendingafinalexam.MyfriendsinvitedmetogotoUSA,Singapore,Taiwan…

TheworldappearssosmalltomethatIstartedthinkinginaglobalway.

SWITCHBETWEEN3CIRCLES:WESTERNERS,HONGKONGERS,ANDMAINLANDERS

Inmyeyes, inHKU,therearethreedifferentcirclesbasedontheabovethreecultures.It’snot thateasytocrossthe

borderbecauseofculturaldifferences.Asanewcomer,it’smorelikelytojointhecircleofyouroriginalculture:westerners

withwesterners,HongKongerswithHongKongers,mainlanderswithmainlanders.It’scomfortable,butyoushouldkeep

anopenmindtoothercirclesandseekopportunities to jointhem,whichleadsyoutoanexcitingnewworld.Youshould

keepcuriousandawayfromstubbornness.Thisisreallyabigchallenge;othercircleshavesomethingagainstyouroriginal

thoughtsandjudgment.Butremembertoremindyourselfoftoleranceandpatience.

SMALLTIPS

1. SOMETHINGYOUSHOULDN’TMISS

a.Mentorshipprogram(October)

b.Distinguishedlectures

c.ProfessionalPreparationProgram

d.SoftskillsworkshopbyCEDARS

2. FORMAINLANDSTUDENTS:MORE

HANGOUT,GETCRAZY

FungScholarProfile

Name:

HEWenlei,Frank

HomeUniversity:

ZhejiangUniversity

HostUniversity:

TheUniversityofHongKong

ExchangePeriod:

2010-11

28

“Therealvoyageofdiscoveryconsistsnot inseekingnewlandscapesbut inhavingneweyes.”AFrenchnovelist,

MarcelProustsaid.

Joining an exchangeprogrammemaymeandifferent things to different people. Some see it as a chance for

understandingforeignculture;sometakethisopportunitytogivethemselvesavacation.Forme,itisavoyage,adiscoveryof

theworldandmyself.

ItisacommonattitudetobelievethattheWesternworldhaseverybestthingintheworld.ButIdidnotquestionmy

fellow,ormyself,whatactuallywasgoodaboutthewest.NotthatIcouldnotseeasinglegoodthingduringtheexchange,it

justmademereflectonmyownattitudes:haveIeverreallytakenacriticalmindwhenIliveeachday?

HongKongisasmallbutself-contentedplace.Walkingonastreetinanot-so-busydistrict,onecanalreadygetall

theyneed–food,clothes,andevenentertainment.Backtohome,Iamalways takencareofbymyfamilyanddomestic

helper.But Ihaveneverreflectedonmylifestyle.Everything is takenforgranted.WhenIarrivedat theUK,Iwasso

surprised:shopscloseat4pm,Undergroundservicessuspendregularly,trainsarenotavailablewheneveryouwantit,andit

isevenhardtogetfoodwhenyouarehungry.

Ontheotherhand,sometimes,HongKongpeopleareoverlycritical.Theyrejectandcriticizemostofthegovernment’s

planwithoutconsideringdeeplytheunderlyingintentions.Haveweeverappreciatedpeopleandthingsaroundus?Duringthe

exchangeexperience,bothstrengthsandweaknessesofthehostcountrycansparkleupanappreciationheart.Forexample,

Westernershaveagoodpersonality.Theyareboundtoofferhelptoeachother,theyrespecttheenvironment,andtheyare

verywarm.Thismakesagreatcontrastwithmyself,whenIrealisethatIneverinitiatedconversationswhenIarrived.And

apparently,whenthingsseemwronglikethosementionedabove,weknowthatweshouldnottakethingsforgrantedbackin

HongKong.

So,whathaveIdiscoveredof theworldandofmyself?Iwouldnot tellyouhere.See itwithyourowneyes:open

uptheworld,andlet theworldopenyoureyes.Travelandexperienceitself isakindofeducation.Goingonanexchange

studymeansalotmorethanvisitingaforeigncountryandmakingnewfriends.Itisaninvaluableopportunitytowidenyour

horizons,andtochangethewayyouperceivetheworld.

The Voyage of Discovery in A Whole New WorldChristine LAM, The University of Hong Kong, FS2010-11

C h r i s t i n e w a s awarded the Li & Fung Scholarship in 2010-11 from The University of Hong Kong. She went to University of London on exchange f o r a semes te r i n spring 2011.

29

A Life Inspiring Experience in Asia

Danniel METZEL, Harvard University, FS2010-11

Dan was awarded the Li & Fung Scholarship in 2010-11 from Harvard University. He interned at Law Offices of Greg Pilarowski in Shanghai, China in last summer.

Thesummerin2010,duetothegenerosityoftheOfficeofInternationalPrograms,theAsiaCenter,HarvardUniversity

andtheVictorandWilliamFungFoundation,IhadtheincredibleopportunitytoworkasaninternwiththeLawOfficesof

GregPilarowski inShanghai,China.ThegrantalsoenabledmetoattendandorganizetheHarvardProjectforAsianand

InternationalRelations’(HPAIR)2010AsiaConferenceinSingapore.

Themostprofoundimpactofmytimeabroadinlastsummerisprobablytheeffectthatseeinghowthingsweredonein

anothercountryhadhadonthewayIthinkaboutlifeintheUnitedStates.

IhaveheldcertainopinionsallmylifeonlifeintheU.S.andhowtheU.S.political,economic,andsocialsystemsare

structured.Withnothingtocomparethemto,myideasaboutwhatmakestheU.S.strongandwhatareasneedimprovement

wentuntested.Now,havingexperienceddailylifeinChinaandhavingtakenanin-depthlookattheChineselegalsystem,

myassumptionsabouthowacountryshouldberunhavebeenchallengedandI thinkthatmyideasabout thedirectionof

futureU.S.policyhaveemergedstrongerforit.

Eversincehighschool,Ihavetoyedwiththeideaofattendinglawschool,butmyinternshipthissummerwasthefirst

opportunityIhavehadtoactuallyworkcloselywithalawyerandparticipateintheday-to-dayworkofalawfirm.Bythe

endofthesummer,Ihadbeenexposedtoboththepositiveandnegativeaspectsoflifeasalawyer.

Overall,theexperiencerevealstomethatpracticinglawisbothinterestingandtedious,simultaneously,andconfirmed

thatlawschoolwouldbeagoodoptionforpost-graduation,butthatitwouldbebesttotakesometimetowork“inthereal

world”first.

Myexperiencehasalsomade iteasier forme toconsiderseekingemploymentoutside theU.S.aftergraduation. I

discoveredthatlivinginanothercountryandspeakinganotherlanguagemostofthetimeisnotaseasyasImighthavehoped,

butalsonotimpossible.AfterlivinginShanghaifortwomonths,Ihaveconcludedthattomethecityislivableandpresents

manyexcitingopportunities,butitwouldalsobedifficultformetolivethereformorethanafewyearsatatime.

HavingreturnedfromShanghaiandSingapore, I still feel the impactofmy trip.SinceIhave thenchartedaplan

formytimeaftergraduation–toworkforafewyearsandthenattendlawschool–Ihavesomemuch-neededfocusfor

choosingclassesthisyear.Thissummerhasalsofocusedmytimeoutsideofclassroom,allowingmetopursuefull-timejob

opportunitieswithlesshesitationthatIwouldhaveotherwise.

Finally,beingabroadhasmademerealizehowlittleofU.S.Ihaveseen,soImaytakesometimeinthecomingyearor

immediatelyaftergraduationtogotosomeoftheAmericancitiesandnaturalwondersthatIhavenevervisited.

30

News from Hong Kong Chapter

Explore the World through Participating in the Universiade

Ming Hong WONG, Volunteering Director of Hong Kong Chapter, FS2010-11

ShenzhenUniversiade2011,held from12th – 23rdAugust, isan internationalevent. Iampleased tobeoneof the

representativesofundergraduatestudentsandHongKongvolunteerstoparticipateinthis“mini-Olympic”.

During theUniversiade, IworkedinSpectatorServiceSection inYuanpingGymnasium,ShenzhenUniversity.We

woreapinofmascotUUandservedthespectatorswithbigsmiles.ThesmileontheUUremindedusoftheimportanceof

servicequalityinservingtheguests.Wefelthappyseeingallthespectatorsenjoyedtheathleticmatches.

From2008up tonow, Ihavealreadyparticipated inBeijingOlympicGames,HongKongEastAsianGames,

GuangzhouAsianGames,GuangzhouParaAsianGamesandShenzhenUniversiade. IgainedGoldAwardforvolunteer

service in these threeyearsandI receiveddozensofbadgesfromallaround theworldand this is thereasonwhyIwas

nicknamedas,“Huizhangge”or“ManofBadge”.Iamusedtoexchangingthesebadgeswithvolunteersduringtheserving

periods.NowIhavecollectedmorethan50pinsfromdifferentcountries.Thepinsrepresentdifferentstoriesofmyvoluntary

serviceexperiences.Throughexchangingthebadges,Isharemyvoluntaryworkexperiencewithathletes,staffandother

volunteers.Forme, this isaveryuniqueand treasuredopportunity toexchange ideaswithpeopleofdifferentcultural

backgrounds.

Timeflies,halfmonthoftrainingandserviceofShenzhenUniversityvoluntaryservicehaspassed.On21stAugust,we

finishedourlastdayserviceinYuanpingVenue.Thatmeansitisagainthetimetosaygoodbyetoleaders,teachers,students

aswellasothervolunteers in theShenzhenUniversity.However,our teamwillneverforget themottoforvolunteersof

ShenzhenUnversiade-“I’mhere”,tospreadthehelpfulspiritofvoluntaryservicetowholeShenzhen,Chinaandeventoall

universitiesoftheworld”.

Ming Hong was awarded the Li & Fung Scholarship in 2010-11 from Lingnan University. He organized a team of Hong Kong-based Fung Scholars to volunteer in the Shenzhen University 2011. He is also an active participant in the Hong Kong Volunteers Association.

TheHongKong30HourFamine2011,anannualfundraising

eventofWorldVision,HongKong,washeldon16-17Aprilat

AberdeenSportsGround.WiththesupportfromVictorandWilliam

FungFoundation,3FungScholars, togetherwith three thousand

otherparticipants,joinedthismeaningfulandenlighteningevent.

Inthe30hours,theyexperiencedhungerinordertofeedand

careforkidssufferingfromfamineindifferentcornersoftheworld.

NotonlydidtheFungScholarsraisefundstohelpchildrensuffering

fromhungerinfar-awaycountries,butalsogainedpersonalinsights

intheprocess.Throughrole-playgameandsharingsessionbyguest

speakers,FungScholarslearntthecommonphysicalneedsandfelt

thepsychologicaldilemmafacedbypeopleofdevelopingcountries.

Though theeventhasended, the spiritof30HourFamine

willcontinue.Withtheseedof loveandcontributionsowedinthe

participants’hearts,oneshouldneverunder-estimatetheimpactof

thisevent!

Reflections from Participating Fung Scholars

30 Hour Famine 2011Vanessa MOK, Finance Secretary of Hong Kong Chapter, FS2009-10

31

Vanessa was awarded the Li & Fung Scholarship in 2009-10 from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She has graduated in this summer and is working at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) as an Assurance Associate starting from October 2011.

Ross CHEUNG, Development Director of Hong Kong Chapter, FS2008-09

“As a Sociology student, I get refreshing ideas from Famine30. Poverty is sometimes deemed as society's mechanism to discourage people from neglecting their social duties. I deny that saying. Famine30 can show you how poverty keeps people suffering and what cruel reality can be to the underprivileged. It is a great weekend activity to both helping others and nourishing to our minds and lives too.”

Hugh TONG, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, FS2009-10

“This Famine 30 Hour is very meaningful to me because I never thought I could gain so much in this event. The most valuable memory I got was friendship, although my teammate and me even did not know each other before this event. My teammates and I really supported each other to finish famine 30 hour with caring, encouragement and lovely smile. It was hardly to imagine that I could finish it without them. In many activities during those two days, I could see that we had a good teamwork because everyone was trying to help other teammates to finish the tasks and activities. Therefore, I could say that Famine 30 Hour could let me learn that being hungry is nothing if you can get support from others. On the other hand, we should support the poor from now on.”

Vanessa MOK, Finance Secretary of Hong Kong Chapter, FS2009-10

“I am very glad that I met such a good team in 30 Hour Famine. Under the team leader’s leadership together with everyone’s involvement, our team built a good team spirit that enabled all of us to get the most out of the event. Without teamwork, this essential element, my experience in 30 Hour Famine could be a whole lot different. This event also triggered me to think deeper on the issue of voluntary service and monetary donation: What is the message behind 30 Hour Famine? Do voluntary services do more harm than good to the people in developing countries? What else could we do other than pure monetary donation? I am glad that through observation and group discussion, I have found the answers to the questions in my mind.”

Executive EditorsMs. Christine LAM

PublishingDirector,FungScholars(HongKongChapter)

TheUniversityofHongKong,FS2010-11

Ms. Annie CHAN

TheHongKongInstituteofEducation,FS2010-11&FS2011-12

Ms. Celina KOK

TheUniversityofHongKong,FS2010-11

Mr. Zephy LEUNG

TheChineseUniversityofHongKong,FS2011-12

Contact Information: Ms. Tracy WONG

Victor and William Fung Foundation

Tel.:(852)28441039

Email:TracyWong@LiFungFoundation.org

Add.:33rdFloor,AlexandraHouse,18ChaterRoad,Central,HongKong.

Web:www.fungscholars.org|www.lifunggroup.com