About the TalkThe Lahu are a small ethnic minority in China. About 470,000 of them live in the mountains in Yunnan, near Burma, Laos, and northern Thailand. This group is mostly Buddhist, and have a long history of resistance to the Chinese Han majority. The Lahu now face the collapse of their traditional social system, suffering from the highest suicide rate in the world, large scale trafficking of Lahu women, alcoholism, and poverty.Dr. Ma did long-term anthropological research among the Lahu for years. In this talk, he will give an overview of the Lahus traditional way of life, the difficulties they face, and how the Lahus situation provides an example of how the Chinese government approaches relatively small ethnic minorities in China. The Lahu minority in Southwest China Streaming Video of talkThe book, The Lahu minority in Southwest China: a response to ethnic marginalization on the frontier, is available in the Library.  About the SpeakerProfessor Ma developed his interest in cultural anthropology growing up in Yunnan, Southwest China. In 1997, he received his M.A. degree in ethnology at Yunnan Nationalities University, and completed his MPhil (2002) and PhD (2007) here at HKUST. His research interests include: ethnicity, kinship, the anthropology of borderlands, and ethnic minorities in China and highland Southeast Asia.As an Assistant Professor in the Division of Humanities, this spring he is teaching HUMA 2621, "Culture and Environment" which explores the relationship between "culture" and the "environment" and how cultural mechanisms impact resource management, population and health practices in different cultural settings.For enquiry, please contact Victoria Caplan at 2358-6756. 

About the TalkWhat do you think London represents? Or, what do you think represents London? «英倫話語», published earlier this year, paints a picture of the city unlike an ordinary guidebook. The author, Miss Bonnie Chen, put together memories of her life as a student when she pursued a master degree at the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2009-10. She brings an unusual perspective to appreciating Londons rich culture and history, which she will share at the BookTalk. She will also provide some tips on how to explore London beyond the typical popular tourist spots. About the SpeakerMiss Chen is an experienced journalist who covers local politics and business news for both Chinese and English media. She is currently the Business News Editor of The Standard.For enquiry, please contact Kevin Ho at 2358-6761. 

About the TalkMany people dream of investing well and growing their wealth through investments, providing for their future or building a retirement nest egg. Todays investor is faced with a myriad of investment opportunities and strategies. However, investing is tricky; knowledge, discipline and experience are needed if one wants to make sound investments. In this talk, Professor Cheng will not only dissect his eight winning strategies for building wealth, but he will also address many of the common mistakes that individual investors make over time.人人都望投資有道，利用不同的金融工具致富，以保障未來生活。投資需要知識、自律和經驗。如今市場上投資渠道和工具繁多， 令人眼花撩亂。為此我們請來鄭教授分享8種簡單易行的投資策略和分析一般投資者常犯上的錯誤，為你我指點迷津。鄭教授的《鱷口下的賺錢術》(書號: HG4551 .Z48 2012) 已入館藏，可隨時借閱。 About the SpeakerBefore joining HKUST as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Finance at HKUST in 2007, Professor Philip Cheng was the Chief Investment Officer at MetLife Taiwan, a wholly owned subsidiary of MetLife Inc., New York, the largest life insurance company in the U.S., with US$500 billion in assets under management.During his 11 years as the chief investment officer, he was managing a multi-asset diversified portfolio of US$1.6 billion. He provided the leadership in setting up of investment policies and strategies to enhance portfolio yield; implementation of asset allocation strategies to increase return on equity; the oversight and the implementation of risk management tools to achieve optimal return on capital.Prior to his position in MetLife, Prof. Cheng was with JP Morgan Chase U.S. for 21 years in international banking and investment. He was Vice-President in areas of corporate lending, investment banking and real estate lending activities in New York and major Asian cities.鄭教授於2007年獲聘為香港科技大學財務系副教授，此前曾任大都會台灣公司的投資總監。大都會是全美國最大的人壽保險公司，管理約5,000億美元資產。在任職大都會台灣投資總監的11年裡，鄭教授曾管理一項總值達16億美元的多元化及多類型資產投資組合。他領導制定投資政策和戰略，以提高組合收益；執行資產配置策略，以增加股本回報率；實施監督及風險管理工具，以達到最佳的資本回報。在加盟大都會前，鄭教授曾任紐約摩根大通國際 銀行副總裁，在美國和亞洲主要城市擔任企業及房地產貸款和相關投資業務，累積經驗達21年之久。 For enquiry, please contact Kevin Ho at 2358-6761. 

About the TalkSince the United Nations adopted the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage there has been increasing interest in documenting and studying local traditions and customs such as festivals and rituals. In 2009, Hong Kong selected four festivals to be included on the UNs list of intangible cultural heritage. The Library also hosted Celebrating Traditional Festivals - An Exhibition of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Hong Kong in early spring 2010.In this talk, Professor Liu discussed two of the four listed festivals: the Tai O (大澳) Dragon Boat Water Parade and the Tai Hang (大坑) Fire Dragon Dance. He used these festivals illustrate what is intangible cultural heritage (ICH), and how it relates to Hong Kong people and their collective memory. Intangible cultural heritage and local communities in East Asia [streaming video]The book, 非物質文化遺產與東亞地方社會 / 廖迪生主編 = Intangible cultural heritage and local communities in East Asia,is available in the Library.  About the SpeakerProfessor Liu is a cultural anthropologist who specializes in the South China and Hong Kong region. He received his Bachelor of Social Science in Anthropology and Diploma of Education from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and his PhD in Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh. He has been a faculty member of HKUST since 1993.His research interests include: popular religion in Hong Kong and South China; fishing communities along the mouth of the Pearl River; shamanic activities Hong Kongs intangible cultural heritage; the catching, trading, and consumption of seafood in Hong Kong; and lobster fishing and local communities in Maine, USA.In addition to his duties as Associate Professor in the Division of Humanities here, he is also the Director of the South China Research Center at HKUST, which was commissioned by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department to conduct a "Territory-wide Survey of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Hong Kong". He is also the Director of the Pan-Pearl River Delta Research Station at HKUSTs Fok Ying Tung Graduate School in Nansha.For enquiry, please contact Victoria Caplan at 2358-6786. 

About the TalkFor many years consumption has driven the engine of global capitalism. In the recent financial crisis, we continue to see the Wests leading economists and policy makers urging Asia to consume more to help save the global economy. This view, shaped by conventional wisdom, refuses to acknowledge both the undesirable effects of consumption and the limits to growth.In Consumptionomics: Asias role in reshaping capitalism and saving the planet, Chandran Nair, argues that this conventional view needs to be replaced by a more rational approach to such challenges, and offers ideas as to possible solutionsConsumptionomics: Asiass role in reshaping capitalism & saving the planet [streaming video] Learn more at the Consumptionomics website. About the SpeakerMr. Chandran Nair is the Founder and CEO of the Global Institute For Tomorrow (GIFT), an independent social venture think tank based in Hong Kong. Its goal is to guide corporations, and their leaders, on how to meet the challenges of doing business in Asia, with particular emphasis on the role of social investment, geo-politics, leadership development, business ethics, government and civil society.He is also an adjunct Associate Professor in the MBA program here at HKUST.Chandran Nair has lived and worked in Asia, Europe and Africa for many years. First in Britain where he awarded a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Bio-Chemical Engineering from the University of Reading in 1979. Then, in South Africa where he volunteered in development work, building water and sanitation systems. In 1986, Mr. Nair graduated with a Master of Engineering (MEng) specialising in Environmental Engineering from the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok.Mr. Nair advocates a more sustainable approach to development in Asia, and has helped governments and corporations instill these principles into their key decision-making processes through his work at GIFT, individual advisory services and speaking engagements throughout the world. Mr Nair is also Chairman and Co-Founder of Avantage Ventures, a boutique social investment advisory firm based in Hong Kong.For enquiry, please contact Victoria Caplan at 2358-6786.