Students and staff at the HKICC Lee Shau Kee School of
Creativity appear to have novel names (please see article below). These include ... Cristo, Yoyo, Walkman and Niko.
Does this mean those who have a "creative bent" are more likely to have, or to consciously choose, creative names for themselves?
This appears to support the view that in Hong Kong those employed in the creative arts are also likely to have novel names. If you want further evidence, simply check out the staff names at the School of Creative Media at the City University of Hong Kong.
Students work on group projects at the Lee Shau Kee School of Creativity in Kowloon City. Photo: Franke Tsang
There's
a liberal, university-like atmosphere at HKICC Lee Shau Kee School of
Creativity in Kowloon City. Along its ground-floor "creative promenade",
students and teachers engage in discussions on art and life, addressing
one another by first names. It seems unlike any mainstream secondary
school in Hong Kong.
Founded in 2006, Lee Shau Kee School is a direct subsidy scheme
senior secondary school that offers Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary
Education courses and a creative arts curriculum that it developed
itself. Starting this past school year, incoming students in Form Four
could enrol in the school's special "double track" curriculum,
fulfilling requirements towards both the mainstream school-leaving
qualification as well as the recently accredited Diploma in Creative
Arts (DCA) before they graduate.
Most students at the school are artistically talented but lack the academic heft valued in conventional organisations.
The school's mission is to provide a liberal environment where they
can develop different learning styles and chart diverse career paths.
Students also undertake individual projects. Photo: Franke Tsang "We nurture outliers because they are the ones who will bring
diversity to our culturally and socially homogeneous society in the
future," says deputy principal Lau Tin-ming. "Our students may not be
academically talented in the traditional sense, but each of them has a
potential that is our job to cultivate."
This humanistic ideal of education is pervasive at the school.
"Double track" students devote afternoons to the Creative
Professional-Orientated Programme, a hands-on, portfolio-building
component of the DCA curriculum. Divided into four areas - performing
arts, film art, visual communication and spatial studies - the programme
is led by practising artists, performers and other creative
professionals, who see themselves more as mentors than teachers.
Aside from the creative guidance from this uniquely qualified
faculty, the DCA curriculum also gives students a thorough theoretical
grounding in the humanities, exposing them to areas such as Western and
Chinese art history, Hong Kong cinema and philosophy, which are not
included in the mainstream curriculum.
"The theory portion of our diploma puts our students' creative
endeavours in a context of cultural knowledge," says Lau, who has played
a big part in designing the curriculum. "As aspiring artists, they need
to have a keen understanding of cultural phenomena in the world and be
able to form their critique about them in thoughtful ways."
The school's humanistic philosophy is also reflected in the DCA
curriculum's assessment framework, which does not include examinations.
Theory courses require students to explore their ideas in discussions
and presentations, while practical courses assess students based on
coursework and a final creative project.
The enthusiasm is palpable in Cristo Lau's spatial studies classroom,
where Form Four student Yoyo Kwok is busy drawing a cross-section of an
architectural model of her dream home. "At this school, we always have to be self-motivated," she says, "but
that's not hard, as it's so much fun to create and learn in a hands-on
way."
In the visual communications classroom, the wall is covered by
illustrations of students' English writing assignments - a tribute to
the DCA curriculum's emphasis on interdisciplinary learning. "Students
devote all their time to creative work in the programme," says
instructor Walkman Yip, who has a degree from Polytechnic University and
is a practising artist. "It can be intimidating to be in creative mode
all the time, but what we bring is our own experience. The liberal
environment here definitely makes it easier for us to motivate them." For their final project in performing arts class, students must
prepare an original three-minute solo performance to showcase their
creative talent. One student decided to personify the actions of her dog
when her family is not around by using the expressive body movements
she acquired through the course. Another student performed a stand-up
comedy routine showcasing a range of voices he has been exploring with
the help of instructor Dick Wong, a seasoned choreographer and theatre
professional.
The school's stimulating curriculum is complemented by a range of
invaluable extracurricular opportunities. In particular, two campus
residency programmes bring in artists to share their work and mentor
students. One programme is dedicated to a traditional but obscure Hong
Kong craft - this year, two experienced puppet makers led workshops in
creating large-scale Chinese paper puppets for an upcoming stage
performance.
Students get creative. Photo: Franke Tsang The other artist in residence, Niko Leung, came back to Hong Kong
after studying and working in the Netherlands. Intrigued by the forms
that could be produced on a turning wheel, Leung experiments with the
light and spatial characteristics of plaster sculptures with students in
her campus studio every day. Her plan is to produce a large-scale
sculpture for the school's Creative Promenade based on her research.
Perhaps because of its perceived lack of academic focus, some parents
have reservations about the school. But more parents are starting to
embrace its liberal philosophy after seeing their unmotivated children
grow to love learning in its creative environment. Others are moved to
see its students succeed in various avenues, whether further studies or
work.
Transcending art and culture, the school's humanistic education
philosophy is, at its core, about allowing each individual student to
succeed in their own way.
"If we call ourselves an educational institution, we must lead our
students to reach their goals, however different they may be," says
deputy principal Lau. "We cannot just teach students how to paint or
dance; we need to see them as individuals, not entities defined by
grades."
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Create a stir
Lancelot Chan chose his own novel name! Pic Edmond So
Lancelot is an example of a Hongkonger who consciously decided to give himself an Anglo- or Western-style first name that is novel:
Chan chose the name Lancelot when he became interested in sword-fighting and after he saw the movie Excalibur.
Lancelot ignited his imagination more than the other knights of King
Arthur’s Round Table because he “wasn’t a perfect example of virtue”.
Lancelot made mistakes and ultimately redeemed himself, explains Chan.
But the name choice seemed stranger than fiction to some.
“I got in trouble while registering for my HKID card; the
person didn’t know this is an English name and gave me one day to prove
that this was an actual name. I had to run to a bookstore, buy a very
thick dictionary that had the name Lancelot and show it to the person,
who made a photocopy of the page,” Chan says.
He also got in trouble when he went to his first swordsmanship forum in the United States in the 1990s.
“They didn’t let me register under the name Lancelot. I
didn’t realise how strange this name was to them. They asked me to prove
it, and I showed them a scanned copy of my HKID card.”
“I said, ‘Now that I’ve proved it, can you apologise?’ The guy refused, and shortened it to Lance.
Hong Kong is a world away from the epic sword and lightsabre fights on the Game of Thrones and Star Wars. But a local sword-fighting master is bridging that gap between fantasy and reality.
His name, aptly enough, is Lancelot Chan Ying-chih,
according to his HKID card. The 37-year-old’s full-time job is creating
realistic swords for training purposes, and he also teaches students how
to fight with the replica weapons.
Chan says a childhood illness, an iconic movie and make-believe duels brought him to where he is today.
As a child, he would often roughhouse with two friends using
broken TV aerials and sticks. Chan used to study martial arts as a boy,
but one day, while he was Primary Five student, he suddenly found
himself unable to move.
He was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. In secondary
school, he took medicines to reduce the inflammation, but he lost the
flexibility and endurance he once had. He stopped doing hand-to-hand
combat and started training with weapons (for fun), which is less
physically demanding.
Later, when he began studying at a technical school, he learned how to use a drill and other equipment to craft swords.
“Before class, we’d all go crazy and fight each other,” he told the South China Morning Post. Our teacher would yell, ‘Stop, or you’ll all get detention.’ He did that from a safe distance, of course. “Our metalworks teacher wanted us to pay attention to him,
so he said if we listened to him, he’d teach us how to make an aluminium
ruler. A few of us learned how to make one and that made for an
excellent weapon that lasted a long time. That was funny, but that’s
also why I can’t tell you which school I went to,” he said.
He has come a long way from fighting with rulers. He now
makes a variety of training weapons, including Chinese swords, a German
bastard sword, Japanese katanas, a European rapier and a Zulu war spear.
He has around 20 students training under him as part of the
Ancient Combat Association, where he is the swordsmanship director. The
association, founded in 2003, promotes “freestyle swordsmanship” or
allowing students to train with a variety of swords.
The number of practitioners is unclear but several countries
including Canada, the US and China have sword-fighting schools. In
March, Russia launched a mixed martial arts division where fighters dress up as knights and fight with swords and shields.
Chan chose the name Lancelot when he became interested in sword-fighting and after he saw the movie Excalibur.
Lancelot ignited his imagination more than the other knights of King
Arthur’s Round Table because he “wasn’t a perfect example of virtue”.
Lancelot made mistakes and ultimately redeemed himself, explains Chan.
But the name choice seemed stranger than fiction to some.
“I got in trouble while registering for my HKID card; the
person didn’t know this is an English name and gave me one day to prove
that this was an actual name. I had to run to a bookstore, buy a very
thick dictionary that had the name Lancelot and show it to the person,
who made a photocopy of the page,” Chan says.
He also got in trouble when he went to his first swordsmanship forum in the United States in the 1990s.
“They didn’t let me register under the name Lancelot. I
didn’t realise how strange this name was to them. They asked me to prove
it, and I showed them a scanned copy of my HKID card.” “I said, ‘Now that I’ve proved it, can you apologise?’ The
guy refused, and shortened it to Lance. That happened at several forums I
went to when I was younger. But later I got more famous, or maybe
organisers just became more liberal, so it’s fine now.”
Chan studied information technology in university and upon
graduation started teaching IT with his father. But his real passion
called; he took up sword-fight training in earnest. In 2001, he figured out how to make training weapons that
weighed and felt like real swords – but without the risk of injuring
someone.
His swords have a steel core and are wrapped with an outer
layer of foam rubber, similar to the material used for foam blocks or
pool noodles. The replicas cost around HK$800 to HK$1,000 each. His wife, Annie Ma Cheuk-yin, says he was already into
sword-fighting when she met him but at first thought he was just
bragging about his skills. Chan sometimes spars with Ma, who uses a
spear.
Chan tries out real swords so that he can mimic the look and
feel of the weapons as closely as possible. When there are weapon
exhibitions in the city, Chan contacts the organisers and arranges a
private viewing session. He also requests hands-on experience with the
ancient swords.
As long as he proves that he makes swords for a living and
signs a liability waiver, Chan says he can handle the genuine weapons.
Besides, he says, he knows most of the exhibitions’ organisers.
He says hands-on exhibits are more popular now: the swords
are placed inside acrylic glass cases with a hole in the middle, so that
people can feel the hilt.
Chan has been making swords and teaching sword-fighting full
time since 2005, and says he has no control over the number of clients
and students. His experience in the trade also gives him access to a
network of potential customers worldwide.
“This comes from the blood and sweat of a lot of my
supporters,” Chan says of his business. “Once you lose your health and
your basic mobility, there’s not much you can really do. [So] now that
I’m somewhat healthy, I decided to just take the plunge.”
Chan says most of his students are men – among them Taku Mak
Ming-ting, 30, who has been learning from Chan since 2008. Mak even
made his own armour from plastic boards and sometimes brings his wife to
trainings.
Mak, who knows Taekwondo, said he wanted to try an activity that felt more like actual combat. “I feel like if you’re learning martial arts, of course you
want to find something that’s as close to the real thing as possible.
It’s like when you’re driving: you don’t want to drive a fake car; you
want to drive a real car, or even a racecar.”
Mak and Chan both say that they pay attention to
sword-fighting sequences in TV shows and movies, though most of them are
disappointing.
“In a real fight, the goal is to not let your opponent know
how you’re going to strike. If even the audience can see what you’re
going to do, your opponents definitely do, too, so they can easily block
your attacks.”
Chan cites Highlander, a 1986 action-fantasy film
about immortal warriors, as having the most realistic fight scenes. The
movie stars Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery and Clancy Brown.
Chan says he knows of only two other full-time sword
enthusiasts like him: a man in Japan who lives with his family, and
another in Germany who sells sword-fighting videos online.
Chan says he will stick to his craft despite challenges.
“I’ve been doing this since 2005 and if I get back on the job market
now, I won’t be able to find a job,” he says. “I’ll keep doing this
until the property prices drive me out of business.”
We all love Pele's pronouncements because after they are made the total opposite usually happens. Failing that, Pele just gets it plain wrong.
It was perfect timing when Pele announced his full support for Joseph "Sepp" Blatter on being re-elected as FIFA president during the current FIFA corruption crisis. That's when the writing was on the wall for Blatter! Subsequently, the beleaguered Blatter announced his resignation the next day.
Pelé has welcomed the re-election of Sepp Blatter as Fifa’s president, despite the crisis surrounding the organisation. Blatter secured a fifth term in charge
at Fifa’s annual congress in Zurich last week after seeing off the
challenge of Jordan’s Prince Ali bin al-Hussein. The 79-year-old faced
calls to step down after the FBI arrested 14 Fifa executives and officials
over “rampant and systemic” corruption allegations. However, Pelé
backed Blatter’s re-election and believes his experience made the Swiss
the only choice for the post.
“I was in favour. It was necessary because it is better to have
people with experience,” Pelé said Sunday after arriving in Havana see a
charity match. “He’s a man who has been there for 25 years [with Fifa],
you have to respect him, it was an election.”
Pelé is in Cuba where he will watch his former club New York Cosmos
play the national team at the Pedro Marrero Stadium in Havana on
Tuesday. The match, which will make Cosmos the first professional
American sports team in 16 years to play in Cuba, has been organised to mark the thawing of relations between the two countries.
The Brazilian club Mogi Mirim, who have the former Brazil and
Barcelona star Rivaldo as president, have fired Pelé’s son Edinho as
coach. The 44-year-old leaves the second division side just four matches
into the league season.
Before joining Mogi Mirim, Edinho was one of the assistant coaches
for Santos, the club where his father thrived in the 1960s. He briefly
played for the club as a goalkeeper in the 1990s.
Edinho recently made headlines after being convicted in a money
laundering case that involved a drugs gang. He is appealing a 33-year
prison sentence.
Perhaps Thomas Jefferson said it best with: “Reason and free inquiry are the only effectual agents against error“. Much error exists in the world and this blog, from the perspective of one Hong Kong SAR resident, is a small attempt to minimize errors.
(this site was formerly HKSAR Blog)
Students work on group projects at the Lee Shau Kee School of Creativity in Kowloon City. Photo: Franke TsangThere's a liberal, university-like atmosphere at HKICC Lee Shau Kee School of Creativity in Kowloon City. Along its ground-floor "creative promenade", students and teachers engage in discussions on art and life, addressing one another by first names. It seems unlike any mainstream secondary school in Hong Kong.Students also undertake individual projects. Photo: Franke Tsang
Students get creative. Photo: Franke Tsang
Students in a sword fighting class taught by Lancelot Chan Ying-chih (centre) in Mong Kok. Photo: Bruce Yan
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