文化遗产与人文通识教育
郑培凯
(香港城市大学中国文化中心，香港)
文化遗产在近数十载引起很多国家越来越多的注意，以欧洲和美州尤甚。国家和地区进行有关城市规划和经济发展等多方面，与及跨范畴和界别的决策过程中，文化遗产也是其一个考虑的元素。中国这一片历史悠久而文化多元的土地，在急速地发展经济及其对世界政治和文化影响力之际，越发意识到文化遗产的重要性。中国采取各方面措施﹝包括学术、行政和金融方面﹞去理解和保护本身的文化遗产，而过去五年尤其积极，这显示在国家发展当中，中国文化遗产已成为不可忽视兼且是核心的部分，而随着全球化形势日益增强，重视中国文化遗产这方面亦只会越加强势。
有鉴于此，我们有必要引导学生去认识理解这重要议题，以帮助他们在思想上适应这变化中的世界同时，亦保留本身的文化身份。香港城市大学中国文化中心现已设计并推出一个名为「现代角度里的中国文化遗产」的课程。我们希望同学修读这课程后，学会理解文化遗产的社会、政治和文化意义；我们亦希望他们面对文化遗产保护跟经济发展冲突等问题﹝如香港岛上中环天星码头钟楼事件﹞的时候，具信心与能力作出适当的判断。
Cultural Heritage and Liberal Arts Education
Cheng Pei-kai
(Chinese Civilization Center, City University of Hong Kong)
In recent decades, Cultural Heritage has drawn much and increasing attention in many countries especially Europe and America. It has been involved in the decision-making process of various issues such as urban planning and economic development, cross cutting different sectors or disciplines of a region or country. China, a land of long history and tremendous cultural diversity, is getting more aware of this significance, with her rapid economic growth and political and cultural influence upon the whole world. Measures (academic, administrative and financial) have been taken to probe and protect her own Cultural Heritage, particularly in the last five years. This manifests that Chinese Cultural Heritage has become an inevitable and integral part of the development of the country. All this will only be accelerated, with globalization deepening.
It is, therefore, necessary to expose students to this important subject, to help them adapt mentally to a changing world, while preserving their cultural identity.
City U’s Chinese Civilization Center has now designed and offered the course entitled
“Chinese Cultural Heritage in Modern Perspective”. It is anticipated that after taking this course, students should learn to comprehend the social, political and cultural meanings of cultural heritage; should feel more confident and competent to make appropriate judgments when encountering problems such as conflicts between heritage protection and economic development (for example, the case of the Clock Tower of Star Ferry Pier in Central, Hong Kong Island).