GEORGE TOWN, PENANG
16 November 2010
Penang Story Lecture Series: “Sino-Western Penang Responses” by Emeritus Prof. Wang Gungwu
Think City Sdn Bhd (“Think City”) will be presenting the inaugural Penang Story Lecture titled “Sino-Western Penang Responses” by Emeritus Professor Wang Gungwu on 20 November 2010. The Penang Story Lecture Series aims to create awareness about Penang’s history and heritage. Equally fascinating is Penang as a place, a refuge and centre for knowledge development and intellectual movements.
The lecture series aims to explore Penang’s unique “place-identity” and strengthen the enabling factors that continue to make Penang attractive to talent. These public lectures examine a particular theme from a multi-disciplinary perspective. The theme this year is “Penang in Global History” focusing on the role the people of Penang played in local, regional and global histories.
“As one of the key events under the Penang Story Initiative, we are proud to present a distinguished speaker, Prof. Wang Gungwu who will be delivering a lecture on the “Sino-Western Penang Responses”, said Dato’ Anwar Fazal, Chairman of Penang Story. “This lecture also coincides with the 22nd Joint Conference of the Sun Yat Sen and Soong Ching Ling Memorials, and will shed some light on the Chinese Diaspora in Penang and the role that they have played in this region,” he added.
The event will be held at 11.30 a.m. on 20th November, at Sri Emas Ballroom, Level 4, City Bayview Hotel. It is open to the public and entrance is free-of-charge. For enquiries do email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  
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For further information, please contact Veronica Liew at +604-222 6956 or via e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

About Emeritus Prof. Wang Gungwu
Professor Wang Gungwu is the Chairman of the East Asian Institute and University Professor, National University of Singapore. He is also Emeritus Professor of the Australian National University.

His books since 2000 include, in English: The Chinese Overseas: From Earthbound China to the Quest for Autonomy (2000); Don't Leave Home: Migration and the Chinese (2001); Anglo-Chinese Encounters since 1800: War, Trade, Science and Governance (2003); Diasporic Chinese Ventures. Edited by Gregor Benton and Liu Hong (2004); “Divided China: Preparing for Reunification”, 883-947 (2007).

Those in Chinese include 海外华人研究的大视野与新方向:王赓武教授论文集 Edited by Liu Hong and Huang Jianli (New Directions in Research on the Chinese Overseas, 2002); 王赓武自选集 (Selected Works, 2002); 移民及兴起的中国 (Migrants and China's Rise, 2005); and 离乡别土：境外看中华. (China and Its Cultures: From the Periphery, 2007). He also published in Japanese: 中华文明と中国のゆくえ (Chinese Civilization and China's Road Ahead, 2007).

He edited 王宓文纪念集 (Wang Fo-wen, 1903-1972: a memorial collection of poems, essays and calligraphy, 2002); and Nation-building: Five Southeast Asian Histories (2005).

Professor Wang is a Commander of the British Empire (CBE); Fellow, and former President, of the Australian Academy of the Humanities; Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Science; Member of Academia Sinica; Honorary Member of the Chinese Academy of Social Science. He was conferred the International Academic Prize, Fukuoka Asian Cultural Prizes. In Singapore, he is Chairman of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies; Chairman of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NUS; Vice-Chairman of the Chinese Heritage Centre; Board Member of the Institute of Strategic and Defence Studies at NTU.

Professor Wang received his B.A. (Hons) and M.A. degrees from the University of Malaya in Singapore, and his Ph.D. at the University of London (1957). His teaching career took him from the University of Malaya (Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, 1957-1968, Professor of History 1963-68) to The Australian National University (1968-1986), where he was Professor and Head of the Department of Far Eastern History and Director of the Research of Pacific Studies. From 1986 to 1995, he was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong. He was Director of East Asian Institute of NUS from 1997 to 2007.

About the Penang Story initiative
The new chapter of the Penang Story continues to “celebrate cultural diversity” and expands to include a “re-discovery” of Penang’s place in local, regional and global history. There will be a special emphasis on Penang as a place of “conjunctures, confluences and contestations”; highlighting the cosmopolitan society that contributed to the making of Penang’s “spirit of place”; and all this by concentrating on Penang’s multi-ethnic community and their contribution to local, regional and global histories.
The Penang Story Initiative is an open platform for all those with an interest in Penang from different parts of the world to contribute towards “deepening” the story, focusing on events & people, and also on other intangible heritage involving foodways, economic activities, values and beliefs, education and all other aspects related to George Town’s ‘Outstanding Universal Values’.
The Penang Story Initiative will build a greater sense of solidarity amongst locals particularly stakeholders in George Town. It will also deepen the public’s understanding of Penang’s role as a place attractive to talent and a home where ideas germinate and return to influence world affairs. This will boost the sense of possibility so important to Penang’s civil society movement. Lastly, as in the project’s original objective, communities will become proud of their own heritage whilst having great respect for the traditions and history of other communities. Ultimately, all communities will become aware of having contributed to Penang’s development and progress.

Joint Organizers
Think City Sdn Bhd (TCSB) is a subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, the strategic investment arm of the Malaysian government. TCSB was set up to manage the Federal Government funded George Town Grants Programme (GTGP) which is a public grants programme designed to protect and preserve George Town’s Outstanding Universal Values which is part of its UNESCO's World Heritage Site status.
The Penang Heritage Trust (PHT) is one of Malaysia’s most successful non-governmental organizations championing the heritage conservation with special emphasis on Penang and George Town. The PHT played a pivotal role in the nomination of George Town as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was also a key partner in the 2001/02 Penang Story Project bringing together local communities through a celebration of cultural diversity.

Knowledge Partners
George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI) is the area manager of the George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site. It provides consultation and public awareness regarding the World Heritage Site. GTWHI also provides advice to the State and Local governments regarding heritage conservation issues and assists private property owners about best practices in conservation.
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) is Malaysia’s Apex University with wide-ranging research programmes. USM initiated several projects directly related to heritage conservation work in Penang and elsewhere.