Page 46 - HKSYU Prospectus 2023-24

Shue Yan University Prospectus 2023-24

DESCRIPTION OF COURSES (GENERAL EDUCATION)

Area A: Chinese Culture in the 21st Century

GEA 103 The Origins and Transformation of East Asian Food Culture (EAFC)
1 Term; 3 Credits
To get to know a country, studying its food culture is a good starting point. Food culture
reflects not only national lifestyles and preferences, but also traditional culture. Today, East
Asian food culture (EAFC) plays an important role worldwide. For example, Chinese regional
cuisines, Korean barbecue (gogigui) and kimchi and high-end Japanese cuisine are all very
popular among international diners. Many East Asian restaurants and lovers of East Asian food
can be found around the globe. The countries of East Asia are important food-culture exporters,
with world-leading soft power. Their great range of food and diverse cultures play a part in their
success. Here comes to the entry point of this course: what are the components of these unique
cultures?
This course will probe the following dimensions of global history and cultural studies: 1)
the historical influence of Confucian culture on EAFC; 2) modern forms of EA cultural
exchange, such as immigration, and their effects; and 3) the worldwide dissemination of EAFC
as soft power in today’s globalised era, the factors leading to its success, and how EAFC has
been reshaped into hybrid multicultural forms via localisation.

GEA 104 Knowing Hong Kong through Historical Sites
1 Term; 3 Credits
Through appreciating cultural heritage in Hong Kong, the course aims to demonstrate
how the influence from Chinese and British cultures have shaped the cultural-heritage
development of Hong Kong. The course provides opportunities for students to explore several
historical routes and heritage sites in Hong Kong, including the Central District, Kowloon Walled
City, Houwang Temple and etc. These field trips allow students to have direct contact with the
environment where they will develop knowledge, skills and interests relating to Hong Kong’s
economic, historical, cultural and social development.

GEA 105 The Making of Hong Kong Chinese Culture
1 Term; 3 Credits
The rise of Hong Kong Chinese culture involves an intricate interplay in relation to
Cantonese praxis, colonial modernity and cosmopolitan identification. By focusing upon family
life, political and economic culture, arts and literature, this general education course examines
how Hong Kong Chinese create a unique version of Chinese culture through varying cultural
innovations and creative practices, particularly what the distinctive ingenuity and flexibility are
in play. The general objective is not to trace the presence of a constant Chinese culture from
the estranged past, but to demonstrate the innovative transformation of Chinese culture in the
Hong Kong context.

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