A Legacy Across Lingnan: Jao Tsung-i in the Greater Bay Area (Winners announced)

Professor Jao Tsung-i dedicated many years to deepening his understanding of the history and culture of the Greater Bay Area. He not only engaged in educational and research activities but also meticulously depicted and painted the rich cultural heritage of the region, becoming a pioneer in its cultural studies. His scholarly, artistic, and educational endeavors have left their mark in all the cities of the region. To promote young people’s appreciation of the history and culture of the Greater Bay Area through the lens of Professor Jao Tsung-i, the Petite École of Hong Kong University, Hong Kong Baptist University Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology, Univercity of Macau and the School of Continuing and Professional Education of the City University of Hong Kong, in collaboration with the Friends of Jao Tsung-i Petite Ecole, the Jao Tsung-I Academy, the Mr Simon Suen and Mrs Mary Suen Sino-Humanitas Institute, and the Jao Link, have organized the 2023/2024 student competition titled “A Legacy Across Lingnan: Jao Tsung-i in the Greater Bay Area”. We warmly invite full-time students from secondary schools and higher education institutes in Hong Kong / Macau to participate. This competition has received generous support from the Friends of the Jao Tsung-I Petite École and the Jao Studies Foundation and is fully endorsed by the Sing Tao Corporation.

Objectives

  1. Encourage young people to recognize Professor Jao Tsung-i’s contributions to scholarship, arts, education, and cultural exchange between China and the West.
  2. Promote understanding among young people about the story of Professor Jao Tsung-i and the Greater Bay Area.
  3. Inspire young people to unleash their creative energy and explore and appreciate traditional Chinese culture.

Professor Jao Tsung-i was renowned as a cultural pioneer of Classical Chinese Studies, both in China and abroad. He taught at prestigious institutions such as Hong Kong University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Yale University, Singapore University, and the École Practique des Hautes Études. His scholarship and artistic works have been exhibited in national museums and galleries in China and beyond. His achievements are deeply intertwined with the development of cultural education and exchange in the Greater Bay Area. Through this competition, we sincerely hope that young people will gain an understanding of how Hong Kong nurtured such a cultural pioneer of Classical Chinese Studies by appreciating Professor Jao Tsung-i’s story. We also aim to encourage everyone to explore and understand Chinese traditional culture by following in Professor Jao’s footsteps across the Greater Bay Area.

Themes

Participation in the competition is open to full-time students from secondary schools and higher education institutes in Hong Kong / Macau. Participants are encouraged to conduct their own research and attend lectures and events organized by the partnering organizations to gather materials and insights related to Professor Jao Tsung-i’s story. Participating institutions can also collect relevant materials from the websites or publications of related scholarly and artistic organizations.

Rules

  1. Participation is organized by educational institutions and divided into three age groups: lower age-group (secondary school years 1-3), middle age-group (secondary school years 4-6), and higher age-group (full-time students at universities and higher education institutions). The age-group classification is determined based on the application form submitted by the institution.
  2. Entries can be in the form of dissertations or creative artistic works, and participants can submit one item for both the dissertation and artistic categories.
  3. Submissions in each category should be the work of individuals or groups of up to three participants and can be in Chinese or English.
  4. Participating educational institutions must complete the submission registration form and send their submissions by post or upload them to the website before the deadline.
  5. Once submitted, the Foundation promoting the competition holds the usage rights for the entries.
  6. The Foundation reserves the right to disqualify any individual from the competition if their submission violates the competition rules or for any other reason.

Requirements

  1. Dissertation submissions should follow scholarly conventions, including a title, abstract, source materials, and citations.
  2. Artistic works must be the original creations of the participant(s). There are no format limitations. If works are altered into cartoon or digital formats, the alterations must comply with the requirements of derivative reproduction.
  3. Submissions can focus on the relationship between Professor Jao and any city in the Greater Bay Area, as well as related creative works. It is recommended that submissions cover at least two cities in the Greater Bay Area.
  4. Submissions should make effective use of material from Professor Jao’s scholarly and artistic works.
  5. All submissions will be anonymously judged, and the names of the creators should not appear on the works themselves.
  6. Works should not have been disseminated in any form elsewhere before submission, including printed publications, online formats, publicly accessible social media platforms, and broadcasts.

Entry Qualifications
Students who are enrolled full-time in Hong Kong / Macau secondary schools and institutes of higher education are eligible to apply.

Age Groups:
Lower age-group: students in years 1-3 of secondary school.
Middle age-group: students in years 4-6 of secondary school.
Higher age-group: students enrolled in higher education institutions.

Requirements for Dissertation Submissions

Lower and middle age-groups:
1. There are no restrictions on the subject matter.
2. The submission must have an upper word limit of 2500 Chinese characters or 3500 English words.
3. If the submission is in modern Chinese (e.g., a short story, prose passage, descriptive narrative, or a discursive piece), the character count should be approximately 800-2500. However, there are no limits for submissions in Classical Chinese.
4. For poetry and songs, there are no limits on the character count. If older poetical forms of shi and ci are used, they must adhere to pingshui rhyme schemes. For more recent poetical forms, shi must adhere to gelü requirements, and ci must adhere to cilin zhengyun rhyme schemes. Cipu must follow the Long Yusheng cipu guidelines (See: https://sou-yun.cn/QueryCiTune.aspx/).

Higher age-group:
1. Dissertations must adhere to scholarly conventions, including a title, abstract, keywords, footnotes, and bibliography. For more specific formatting guidelines, refer to the attached ‘Chinese style guide.’
2. The word count should be around 5000 Chinese characters or 6000 English words.
3. The word count does not include the bibliography and footnotes.

Requirements for Creative Artistic Works

Visual and performance arts can include paintings, carvings, statues, photography, craftwork, literature, music, digital art, architecture, opera, and dance.
Eligible submissions are not limited to any specific medium, and any subject matter is permissible. The original work must be submitted along with an appropriate written explanation:

Lower age-group: The written explanation should not exceed 600 Chinese characters or 800 English words.

Middle age-group: The written explanation should not exceed 800 Chinese characters or 1000 English words.

Higher age-group: The written explanation should not exceed 1000 Chinese characters or 1500 English words.

Format

Submissions must be neat and include an editable electronic version.

Permissible formats:
1. Computer files (.docx).
2. Film or musical works should have a resolution of 1280*720 or higher and primarily be in a file type that can be uploaded to YouTube (e.g., avi/.mov/.mpeg4/.mp4).
3. Printed literary works should be printed with the text running horizontally on A4 size paper.
4. Some works will be transferred into webpages to facilitate online adjudication.

Deadline

The deadline for submissions is August 10, 2024. For submissions sent by post, the postmark will serve as proof of the date of posting. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Copyright

The works submitted must be created by students who are currently enrolled at participating educational institutions and must not have been previously published or submitted to other competitions. Regardless of whether the submitted works win prizes, they will not be returned.
The copyright of the submitted works belongs to the Jao Studies Foundation. The Foundation reserves the right to reproduce, publish, exhibit, or use the works in promotional materials.

Submission of Works

Submissions by post should be sent together with the completed submission form before the deadline to the following address:

Hong Kong Baptist University Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology
Room 707F, 7th Floor, Shaw Tower
34 Junction Road, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong

Please mark the envelope ‘The Jao Tsung-I Story’ student competition.

Prior to the submission of creative artistic works, participants are advised to contact the Foundation’s secretariat to make appropriate arrangements: info@jaostudies.com. If computer files (.docx) are submitted, the completed submission form and the work itself should be emailed on or before August 10, 2024, to: info@jaostudies.com.
Works must not contain elements of insinuation or slander. If complaints are received, the responsibility lies with the individuals submitting the works to address them, and the promoting organizations accept no responsibility for such matters.

To register, click the following link to access the registration form: Registration form

When submitting the work, click the following link to access the submission form:
(This link will be provided after registration is confirmed.)

Prizes

Prizes for dissertations and creative artistic works in respect of the lower, middle, and higher age-groups are as follows:

Lower age-group:
First prize, one to be awarded:
‘Jao Studies Dissertation/Creative Arts Scholarship’ 9000HK$, prize cup, and a commemorative certificate.
Second prize, one to be awarded:
‘Jao Studies Dissertation/Creative Arts Scholarship’ 7000HK$, prize cup, and a commemorative certificate.
Third prize, one to be awarded:
‘Jao Studies Dissertation/Creative Arts Scholarship’ 5000HK$, prize cup, and a commemorative certificate.
Outstanding Achievement Award:
Scholarship of 2000HK$, one trophy to be awarded and a commemorative certificate.

Middle age-group:
First prize, one to be awarded:
‘Jao Studies Dissertation/Creative Arts Scholarship’ 10,000HK$, prize cup, and a commemorative certificate.
Second prize, one to be awarded:
‘Jao Studies Dissertation/Creative Arts Scholarship’ 8000HK$, prize cup, and a commemorative certificate.
Third prize, one to be awarded:
‘Jao Studies Dissertation/Creative Arts Scholarship’ 6000HK$, prize cup, and a commemorative certificate.
Outstanding Achievement Award:
Scholarship of 2000HK$, one trophy to be awarded and a commemorative certificate.

Higher age-group:
First prize, one to be awarded:
‘Jao Studies Dissertation/Creative Arts Scholarship’ 18,000HK$, prize cup, and a commemorative certificate.
Second prize, one to be awarded:
‘Jao Studies Dissertation/Creative Arts Scholarship’ 13,000HK$, prize cup, and a commemorative certificate.
Third prize, one to be awarded:
‘Jao Studies Dissertation/Creative Arts Scholarship’ 8000HK$, prize cup, and a commemorative certificate.
Outstanding Achievement Award
Scholarship of 2000HK$, one trophy to be awarded and a commemorative certificate.

**In the Lower, Middle, and Higher age-group, The Most Participating School and The Best Teacher in the Dissertation and Creative Artistic Works categories will be awarded, respectively, to appreciate the efforts of all participating teachers and schools.**

Adjudication Criteria

  1. Content 50%
  2. Power of expression 20%
  3. Creativity/innovation 30%

Public Announcement of Adjudication Results and Prize-giving Ceremony

The results has been announced on October 10, 2024, on the Jao Studies Foundation website (Please click). All winners will receive email notification next week. Please stay tuned.
The prize-giving ceremony is scheduled to take place in early November 2024. Further details will be announced at a later date.
The adjudication results are final, and no further discussion will be entertained.
The panel of adjudicators reserves the right to make appropriate adjustments to the number of prizes awarded if the quality and quantity of submissions merit such adjustments.

Adjudication Panel

The adjudication panel consists of distinguished individuals from the fields of education, culture, and other relevant areas. The panel includes the following members (not listed in any particular order):

Prof. Lee Chack Fan, Director of the Jao Tsung-i Petite École, The University of Hong Kong / Chairman of Management Board, Jao Studies Foundation
Prof. Chen Zhi, Director of Hong Kong Baptist University Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology / President of Beijing Normal University – Hong Kong Baptist University United International College
Mr Paul Pang, Dean of Students, University of Macau
Dr MA C K Louis, Director of the School of Continuing and Professional Education, City University of Hong Kong
Prof. Sin Chow Yiu, Honorary Professor of the School of Chinese, The University of Hong Kong
Dr Tang Wai Hung Thomas, Honorary Deputy Director of the Jao Tsung-i Petite École, The University of Hong Kong
Dr Lau Fung Ha Lesley, Head of the Art Promotion Office, Hong Kong
Dr Anthony Kong, Assistant Professor, the School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Dr Sarah Ng, Curator of University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong
Mrs Ip Yeung See-ming Christine, Chief Executive Officer Greater China, United Overseas Bank
Dr Chloe Suen, Chairman, Simon Suen Foundation
Prof. Zhang Hongsheng, Director of the Mr Simon Suen and Mrs Mary Suen Sino-Humanitas Institute, Hong Kong Baptist University
Prof. Cheng Hwei Shing, Adjunct Professor of the Department of Chinese History and Culture, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Dr Wong King Keung Peter, Vice Chairman of the Management Committee of the Jao Tsung-I Academy
Dr Cai Jin, Chief Executive Officer, Sing Tao News Corporation
Mr Choi, Daniel Kwok-fai, Course Development Manager, School of Continuing and Professional Education, City University of Hong Kong
Dr Adam Schwartz, Associate Director, Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology, Hong Kong Baptist University
Dr Yiu Shek-on John, Deputy Director of the Jao Tsung-I Petite École, The University of Hong Kong
Dr Law Lok Yin, Assistant Professor, School of Arts and Social Sciences, Hong Kong Metropolitan University
Ms Leung Lai Pik Anne, Lecturer of Complementary Studies, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts

Enquiries

If there are any deficiencies in this document, the main organizations promoting the competition reserve the right to make revisions. The final decision-making authority regarding the competition lies solely with the main organizations.
The Foundation appreciates receiving emails for inquiries related to the competition. For other relevant matters, please refer to the Foundation’s website.
Email: info@jaostudies.com
Website: www.jaostudies.com/tc/

Copyright Statement

  1. No submitted works will be returned. The Foundation retains the right to utilize the submitted works for the purposes of dissemination and education associated with this competition.
  2. By submitting the submission form, participating educational institutions express their agreement to assign the rights of the submitted works and related attachments to the principal promoting organizations. These rights include editing, cutting, duplicating, archiving, transmitting, disseminating, and exhibiting the works, as well as for educational and other non-commercial purposes.
  3. Participating educational institutions must be aware of and agree to the usage rights reserved by the principal promoting organizations concerning any text or photographs attached to their submissions. These materials may be used in dissemination or educational materials related to the competition.
  4. Any personal information provided by participating educational institutions will be used solely for the purpose of this competition and will be treated as strictly confidential.
  5. Upon the conclusion of the competition, the submitted works received will be uploaded to the Jao Studies Foundation website for public viewing.

Honour Code for Participants

Participants in the competition are required to complete their works independently. If participants engage in dishonest conduct to complete their works, their status as participants will be immediately revoked, and their works will not be returned. They will not be given the opportunity to submit supplementary entries. Dishonest conduct encompasses various actions, including but not limited to:
Cheating: Intentionally deceiving the Foundation by falsely presenting someone else’s work as one’s own. This includes, but is not limited to:
Indiscriminately borrowing from dissertations, including their creative ideas or research plans, or allowing such practices to occur.
Submitting work that is not original and belongs to someone else.
Plagiarism: Using material written by others without providing any acknowledgment or citation.
Failing to attribute the source from which the ideas or material of others have been extracted.
Presenting the artistic or scholarly works of others as one’s own.
Falsification: Intending to deceive by concealing information, employing fabricated material, or engaging in fraudulent research or promoting fake discoveries.