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: [email protected]
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:[email protected]
Add.:33rdFloor,AlexandraHouse,18ChaterRoad,Central,HongKong.
Web:www.fungscholars.org|www.lifunggroup.com