Ambrose King Yeo-chi, SBS, JP (; born 14 February 1935) is a Hong Kong sociologist, educator, writer and academic. He was formerly

vice-chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...

of the

Chinese University of Hong Kong The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a public research university in Ma Liu Shui, Hong Kong, formally established in 1963 by a charter granted by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. It is the territory's second-oldest university an ...

(CUHK).

Personal life

Ambrose King received most of his education in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. He graduated from Taipei Municipal Chenggong Senior High School, earned a B.A from

National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; ) is a public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1928 during Japanese rule as the seventh of the Imperial Universities. It was named Taihoku Imperial University and served d ...

and M.A. degree in political studies from

National Chengchi University National Chengchi University () is a public research university in Taipei. The university is also considered as the earliest public service training facility of the Republic of China. First established in Nanjing in 1927, the university was subs ...

. Then he went to the United States and earned his PhD from the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

in 1970.

Career

After earning his PhD, he joined the Department of Sociology of CUHK in 1970. In 1974, he was promoted to Senior Lecturer, in 1979 to Reader and in 1983 Professor of Sociology in CUHK. From 1977 to 1985, he served as Head of

New Asia College New Asia College is a constituent college of the Chinese University of Hong Kong located in Sha Tin, New Territories, Hong Kong. History New Asia College was founded in 1949 by Chinese scholars Ch'ien Mu (Qian Mu), Tang Junyi (Tang Chun-i), ...

and in 1989 he became Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the university before succeeding

Arthur Li Arthur Li Kwok-cheung, GBM, GBS JP (; born 27 June 1945) is a Hong Kong doctor and politician. He is currently member of the Executive Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the chairman of the Council of the Universi ...

. In 2002 he was appointed Vice-Chancellor of CUHK, and retired in 2004. He is now a Professor of Sociology in the CUHK, teaching the course ''Individual and Society''. King has written essays; ''Cambridge Musings'' (1977), ''Heidelberg Musings'' (1986) and ''Ever in my Heart'' (2005). He is also a

calligrapher Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

Research focus and contributions

His research interest are modernisation and modernity of China, and the role of tradition in social-cultural transformation. He employed the theoretical framework of

Max Weber Maximilian Karl Emil Weber (; ; 21 April 186414 June 1920) was a German sociologist, historian, jurist and political economist, who is regarded as among the most important theorists of the development of modern Western society. His ideas profo ...

to study the development of Chinese culture in the process of modernisation. He also tried to measure the costs and benefits of modernisation after the breakdown of the old Chinese dynastic orders and clan systems in the late 19th century. He wrote theses on Hong Kong society, including ''The Administrative Absorption of Politics in Hong Kong'' (1975), which argued that the British cooptation of local elites would lead to "

synarchy Synarchism generally means "joint rule" or "harmonious rule". Beyond this general definition, both ''synarchism'' and ''synarchy'' have been used to denote rule by a secret elite in Vichy France, Italy, China, and Hong Kong, while being used to de ...

", a form of joint rule; ''Social Life and Development in Hong Kong'' (1985); ''The Special Character of Hong Kong's Polity and its Democratic Prospects'' (1987); ''One Country, Two Systems: An Idea on Trial'' (1995); and ''Hong Kong: A City with the Most Traits of Modernity in Chinese Societies'' (2000). He held that to understand Hong Kong, one cannot overlook two important threads, namely, colonial rule and capitalism. He introduced the administrative absorption politics model (行政吸納政治) in 1975. When he visited

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

in 1975, he wrote his first essay on university education, entitled ''Two Cultures and Technological Humanism''. In 1983 he published ''The Idea of a University'', a work that was the fruit of many years of reflection and study. In 1994, he was elected a Fellow of

Academia Sinica Academia Sinica (AS, la, 1=Academia Sinica, 3=Chinese Academy; ), headquartered in Nangang, Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. Founded in Nanking, the academy supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from ...

in Taiwan, and in the following years he has been honoured by many universities.

Selected works

*''China’s Great Transformation: Selected Essays on Confucianism, Modernization, and Democracy,'' 2018, Hong Kong: Chinese University Press *"Chinese Religion''."'' In ''Understanding Contemporary China.'' Edited by Gamer, R. New York: Lynn Reinner. *''The Idea of University'' (大學之理念), 2001, London:

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

* ''Chinese Politics and Culture'' (中國政治與文化), 1997, London:

* ''State Confucianism and Its Transformation: The Restructuring of the State-Society Relation in Taiwan'' and ''The Transformation of Confucianism in the Post-Confucian Era: The Emergence of Rationalistic Traditionalism in Hong Kong''
"Confucian Traditions in East Asian Modernity", 1996, edited by Tu Wei-ming. Cambridge, MA:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retirem ...

* ''Chinese Society and Culture'' (中國社會與文化), 1992, London:

* ''From Traditional to Modernised'' (從傳統到現代), 1992, London:

*"The Political Culture of

Kwun Tong Kwun Tong is an area in the Kwun Tong District of Hong Kong, situated at the eastern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, and its boundary stretches from Lion Rock in the north to Lei Yue Mun in the south, and from the winding paths of Kowloon ...

: A Chinese Community in Hong Kong." ''Southeast Asian Journal of Social Science'' 5.1-2 (1977): 123–41. *"Administrative Absorption of Politics in Hong Kong: Emphasis on the Grass Roots Level." ''

Asian Survey ''Asian Survey: A Bimonthly Review of Contemporary Asian Affairs'' is a bimonthly academic journal of Asian studies published by the University of California Press on behalf of the Institute of East Asian Studies at the University of California, ...

'' 15.5 (1975): 422–39.

Award

Silver Bauhinia Star The Silver Bauhinia Star (, SBS) is the second Bauhinia Star rank in the honours system of Hong Kong, awarded to people who have taken a leading part in public affairs or voluntary work over a long period. The award was created in 1997 to repla ...

(1998)

References