Project Reference No.: UGC/IIDS13/H01/22
Project Title: Nostalgia of Diaspora Music: Conference on the Development of Cantonese Pop Music in the Southeast Asia
Principal Investigator: Dr CHENG Chen-ching (Chu Hai)

Abstract

To date, there has been a significant gap in work on the social history of Chinese popular music: the development of Cantonese pop music in Southeast Asia and the overseas Chinese circles. To address this deficiency, this conference will gather all academic scholars and experts to explore the history of development of Cantonese popular songs in Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan. At the same time, it will also extend the discussion of the development of Cantonese pop in Chinese communities such as Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Three key themes will be explored in the conference:

1. The development of Cantonese pop music in the Southeast Asian pop music industry and the role of Cantonese pop music in the Southeast Asian music scene;
2. The shared memory of Cantonese pop music culture among Chinese in Taiwan and Southeast Asia; and
3. How the changing nature of popular culture affect the development of Cantonese pop music?

Apart from examining the social, economic, cultural and political factors that influence Cantonese pop music, the industry behind it and shared audience memories, the focal point of the conference is to draw attention to aspect of time by examining how the cold war in Asia reconstructed Cantonese pop's cultural heritages and how these heritages were transformed through different ideological structures and facets, aiming to explore the role of popular music in political struggles between warring ideologies and shows how those struggles both informed and were informed by the Cantonese songs of a global popular music market.

 

Project Reference No.: UGC/IIDS25/B01/22
Project Title: Circular Fashion Forum: Implementation of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) in the fashion industry
Principal Investigator: Ms CHENG Hiu (THEi)

Abstract

The event titled "Circular Fashion Forum - Implementation of UNSDGs in the Fashion Industry", it is a 3-day conference in hybrid mode. The forum will cover different aspects everyday which focus on the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals (SDGs), including economic (SDGs 9 and 12), social (SDGs 7, 9, 10 and 12), and environmental (SDGs 9, 10 and 13) goals. Renowned overseas and local scholars and experts in fashion design, operations, corporate social responsibility (CSR) auditors, and SDG implementation project personnel with entrepreneurial experience in service / product design will be invited to speak and present their current research, elaborate on good practices in SDG related services and product. The seminar is committed to promoting the application of the UNSDGs with academic theories of servant leadership, design thinking and transformations within a sustainability framework in the fashion industry; and research excellence and vocational skills in fashion-related industries. A website will be constructed with all the seminars recorded and uploaded online after the event. The website serves as an archive to keep a record of the entire event and provide information for anyone interested in the mentioned topics. The ultimate aim is to facilitate and cultivate faculty research activities and capabilities of academic staff, at the same time, to increase the awareness of sustainability at multiple level.

 

Project Reference No.: UGC/IIDS24/B02/22
Project Title: Building and Sustaining the Momentum of Cross-border E-commerce for the Greater Bay Area
Principal Investigator: Dr LAU Yui-yip (PolyU SPEED)

Abstract

The emergence and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the stagnation of global economic development, but also, provided a major opportunity for international trade to advance its digital transformation for the rise of e-commerce sales. Indeed, social distancing has determined the growing tendency to online consumption, and cross border e-commerce, especially in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), has become an important way to connect manufacturing with global consumption. In response to this opportunity, there is an acute need to quickly adapt to new supply-demand relationships in the GBA, and thus, this proposal will have presenters who already have expertise in cross-border e-commerce businesses in the GBA in China, and the audience comprises of individuals who need this digital expertise. As described in this proposal, the workshops and conference sessions will highlight the issues of cross-border e-commerce businesses in the GBA. These issues may include a balance in the use of innovative technologies and knowledge management, research knowledge and skills, education and training, regulatory and governance techniques and protocols. The planned conference would be the first of its kind to address such cross-border e-commerce issues. Hong Kong has been selected since it has world-leading supply chain systems and is an international trading centre. Furthermore, Hong Kong is strategically situated in the heart of Asia-Pacific and long acclaimed for its booming supply chain industry and trading activities. Additionally, establishing cross-border e-commerce businesses in the GBA aligns with the agreement signed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao governments, that is, the Framework Agreement on Deepening Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Cooperation in the Development of the GBA. Our proposed project can increase the awareness and support from the industries to share ways to facilitate regional economic development and encourage greater economic integration within the GBA via cross-border e-commerce business development. In response, the conference participants will explore case studies of global companies' use of e-commerce, with analyses of the use and impact of e-commerce. The participants will also discuss the benefits of e-commerce, the implementation of e-commerce applications, market opportunities and winning strategies of e-commerce. PolyU SPEED, Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi), The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (HSUHK), Beijing Normal University – Hong Kong Baptist University United International College (UIC), Shenzhen University (SU), Macao Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT), Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Youth Society (GHKMGBAYS), Dongguan-Hongkong Bay Area Association (DHKBAA), Institute of Seatransport (IoS), Hong Kong Sea Transport and Logistics Association (HKSTLA), and Climate Change Adaptation Planning for Port, Transportation Infrastructure, and the Arctic (CCAPPTIA) can contribute to the proposed proposal by establishing a consortium to exchange knowledge and engage with local institutes through workshops and a conference. Six outcomes are anticipated from the conference: (1) attracting renowned scholars, policymakers, and industrial practitioners to produce innovative outputs; (2) extending the promotion of various research and scholarly activities through websites, social media, and newsletters; (3) facilitating a series of research workshops; (4) coaching young researchers in the related disciplines; (5) facilitating scholarly activities with the academia, industries, the associations, and governments; and (6) generating research easily accessible to communities of interests through different communication means, such as, professional magazines (e.g., Seaview, The Maritime Economists), and press releases.