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diff --git a/language/chinese/chtex/hong-kong.report b/language/chinese/chtex/hong-kong.report new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..e5a8bfe8b3 --- /dev/null +++ b/language/chinese/chtex/hong-kong.report @@ -0,0 +1,419 @@ +From cheung@mathcs.emory.edu Fri Jul 26 05:22:38 1991 +From: cheung@mathcs.emory.edu (Shun Yan Cheung) +Newsgroups: soc.culture.hongkong +Subject: KAHANER Report on Computing in Hong Kong +Date: 23 Jul 91 19:52:46 GMT +Organization: Emory University, Dept of Math and CS + +I found the following report on Computing in Hong Kong. Hope it arouses +some interest and discussion in this newsgroup. +-- + +To: Distribution +From: David K. Kahaner, ONR Asia [kahaner@xroads.cc.u-tokyo.ac.jp] +Re: Computing in Hong Kong +11 July 1991 +This file is named "hongkong.91" + +ABSTRACT. Computing activities in Hong Kong are described. + +INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY. +China (including Taiwan and Hong Kong) has almost 1.3 billion people, +five to six times the population of the United States, and more than ten +times the population of Japan. + +Both Taiwan and mainland China consider themselves part of one country, +although there is a small difference of opinion as to who is in charge. +We presented a report on computing in Taiwan earlier, (see Taiwan, 17 +Jan 1991), and a forthcoming report will discuss mainland China +explicitly. This report is limited to Hong Kong. + +Comprising several small islands and a section of the Chinese mainland, +Hong Kong has been under British control for two hundred years. Hong +Kong Island is the best known of these islands and the location of a +spectacular array of large modern skyscrapers, dominated by the Bank Of +China Building, and Victoria Peak, the latter the location of former +British summer residences. The adjacent mainland portion (Kowloon) is +another tourist center, packed with hotels and shops. + +Hong Kong will revert to China in 1997. At the moment it is officially +under British control, although mainland Chinese are being incorporated +into its administration and government. There are the expected disputes +between Britain and China about how much money should be left in Hong +Kong's treasury, who should make decisions concerning contracts that +overlap 1997, etc. Plans to construct a new multi-billion dollar +international airport were the focus of this controversy while I was +there, with China, Britain, and Hong Kong all claiming they had the +right to have final say. Among Hong Kong's population, there are +differing points of view on this transition. Most of the professionals +are apprehensive because of the uncertainty, while some feel that +ultimately it will be a good thing to be united. But many industrial +firms are packing up and moving, and there has also been a well +publicized exodus of Hong Kong citizens to Canada and other hospitable +countries. Other people are hedging their bets and attempting to obtain +foreign passports with the hope that they won't be forced to use them. +One Hong Kong scientist asked me if I knew how he could get a British +passport (I didn't). Britain has set up a quota system for a limited +number of British passports depending on age, education, and vocation of +the applicants. Apparently there is an excess of some scientists and +engineers who have applied, and not enough managers. I was told a story +about 2,000 well-to-do (and shrewd) Hong Kong citizens who purchased +East German passports shortly before Germany was reunited. The general +feeling was very well expressed by one scientist, who put it this way, +"we are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst." The nearby +Portuguese-run island of Macau will revert to Chinese control in 1999, +two years after Hong Kong. + +Computing and related research in Hong Kong is fragmented, with +individual universities going their own way; laissez faire is a good way +to describe the state. This might equally apply to other aspects of +activities within Hong Kong, which appears to be the ultimate "free +market". There is a great deal of creative energy, especially at the +University of Hong Kong, but I had very little sense that there were any +coordinated programs among the universities. This assessment is +tentative however, as I had no opportunity to speak to government +officials who might be promoting such things. Also, the situation might +change as Hong Kong's new Science and Technology university begins +operation; the government has identified information technology as a key +area this university should focus on. Nevertheless, the computing world +here is quite different from, say, Singapore (see my report, 19 June +1991, Singapor) in which coordination is dramatically apparent. About +three years ago a study was commissioned to determine if the Hong Kong +government could justify the purchase of a supercomputer for use at the +universities and other public facilities. That study concluded that +such a purchase was not justified at the time, although perhaps there +was also some concern about where this machine would ultimately end up. +I sensed that a mini-super, at least, would be very useful. + +There are six main college/universities in Hong Kong. + The University of Hong Kong + The Chinese University of Hong Kong + The Hong Kong Polytechnic + The City Polytechnic of Hong Kong + The Hong Kong Baptist College + Ling Nam College +The first two have both graduate and undergraduate programs and have +faculty members engaged in research. The remainder are more focused on +vocational training and some postgraduate (mostly MS) programs. Their +faculty also do some research. There is a brand new university + The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology +which will open its doors to students this fall (1991). + +I visited U-HK, HK-Poly, and HKUS&T. All three are either bursting at +the seams or in the midst of a frantic building program. I had no +opportunity to visit ChineseU-HK but was told that this is a fairly +traditional university that has heavy emphasis on the social sciences. +HK-U, HK-Poly, and ChineseU-HK have enrollments in the range 10-13,000, +and HKUS&T is anticipating similar numbers within a few years. Hong Kong +has a population of about 6,000,000 so there does not appear to be much +doubt that this level can be maintained as long as the government +provides financial support (these are all public institutions). + +HONG KONG UNIVERSITY. +HK-U is on Hong Kong island, in a very hilly setting. Buildings are +stacked, and it is difficult to walk more than a few meters in any +direction without encountering steps. There are some beautiful views. + +HK-U has a very active Computer Science department, established in 1988. +I had met the Chairman in Taiwan, where I was impressed with one of his +research papers. + Prof. Francis Yuk-Lun Chin + Department of Computer Science + University of Hong Kong + Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong + Tel: +852 859-2178, Fax +852 559-8447. + Email: CHIN@CSD.HKU.HK, or CHIN%CSD@HKUJNT.BITNET +The current department has about 15 faculty. In the 89-90 academic year, +there were about 120 students, 43 CScience undergraduates, 60 +CEngineering undergraduates, and 14 graduate students. Almost all of +the faculty have PhD from Western universities such as Princeton, +Columbia, Waterloo, Wisconsin, Illinois, London, etc. Research interests +span the usual range of those in Computer Science departments, although +I did not sense much activity in numerical computation, and none in +numerical analysis (I had no opportunity to visit the Mathematics +department), although at least one faculty member (W.W. Tsang) is +interested in statistical computation. There is some work in parallel +and distributed computation, related mostly to programming environments, +networking, systems, and object oriented programming. Chin's research +that caught my attention in Taiwan was concerned with computation on a +hypercube. It is somewhat theoretical and was done while he was on +sabbatical in the US. His current responsibilities leave little free +time for research. There is a generous collection of modern Unix +workstations, but I did not see any parallel computers at the +University. There may be some at local industries however. + +The department has generated a credible number of publications, mostly +in English, many in well known journals. There is an active visitor +program. While I was there Prof Robert Uzgalis (retired from UCLA) was +ending a year's visit. The University provided him with support and +housing. Uzgalis claimed that the Chinese students he met were very +creative and diligent, and more suited for creating new software than +some other Asian groups he had dealt with. He also commented that there +was an excess of skilled computer talent in Hong Kong, and many +graduates are forced to accept positions in financial or other fields. +In fact, I did not see any evidence of an information industry, although +I was told that there is at least one PC clone (Sigma) produced in Hong +Kong. (The new HKUS&T has as one of its goals to build the information +industry in Hong Kong.) However, while I was in Hong Kong I watched an +exceptionally well done computer video that was presented on TV as an +advertisement for the proposed new airport. It showed the bay surrounded +by tall buildings, water disappearing and slowly being replaced by +runways, followed by a 747 on its final approach and landing. +Unfortunately I was not able to get any information about where this was +made. + +HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. +The most interesting new scientific development in Hong Kong is its new +university, HKUS&T, which will consist of a grouping of professional +schools emphasizing science, technology, engineering, management and +business. There is a deliberate decision to make the university focus +on technology transfer to industry. In fact there is a plan to create +two separate types of positions to attract scientists from both the +academic research community and the industrial/commercial R&D sector. +Initially, the teaching language will be English, but university +administrators acknowledge that Chinese will also be pervasive to +satisfy "a practical need for our graduates to be able to flourish up +north". At the time of my visit, the university staff were located in an +office building one block from the center of the downtown portion of +(the mainland-Kowloon) Hong Kong, but a brand new campus is being built +outside central Hong Kong and is visualized as more like a college town +than an urban campus, set along the ocean on 60 hectares, including not +only the university complex but sports facilities, student residences +for over 2,000, senior staff apartments of 1500- 2000 sq.ft, shops, etc. + +Academic staff are being recruited actively. Senior members are being +sought by all traditional methods including academic "head hunting". +Advertisements in scientific journals are also used. I noticed a large +ad in a recent SIAM Newsletter, indicating very handsome salaries and +benefits. Many of these senior positions have now been filled, and +there is a long list of scholars who have spent many years at very well +known universities in the West, including Berkeley, Princeton, USC, +CalTech, Brown, Oxford, MIT, and the like. Roughly two thirds of the +senior staff have Asian names, the remainder appear to be Western. The +university reluctantly has acknowledged that they will have to pay +department salary differentials based on market conditions. + +There are many growing pains, and some chaos as the first students will +appear this fall. More than 10,000 applicants vied for about 560 +undergraduate positions. The following year about 2000 students are +expected. Plans are to have about 10,000 students by the end of the +decade. (Regardless of the long term future of the university, I think +that its first students will have a very rich and rewarding educational +experience.) + +The following chart describes the planned enrollments. Figures are +undergraduates/graduate students/faculty & staff. + + 1991 1993 1995 1999 + ---- ---- ---- ---- + Science 180/30/49 835/130/129 1503/365/192 2024/430/263 + Engineering 230/42/39 1054/126/120 2070/433/209 3192/726/317 + Business & Mgt 150/60/31 1034/210/104 1963/474/161 2798/627/226 + Hum & Soc Sci 0/ 8/15 0/ 61/ 50 0/155/ 80 0/200/110 + +Within the School of Engineering, Computer Science and EE will be +co-equal as the largest programs. Surprisingly, Mathematics will +eventually be the largest program in the School of Science, half again +as large as physics, and almost twice as large as chemistry. Perhaps +this is related to the strong Mathematics faculty, of whom five have +already been selected, including two professors from Brown (Hsieh and +Shen), a former department head from Princeton (Hsiang), and a research +mathematician who spent 20 years at the US Naval Research Laboratory +(Yang). The Computer Science program will be headed by a Princeton PhD +and former MCC program manager (Shen). The university President (Woo) +was formerly President of San Francisco State University. + +The university is planned to be a first class research establishment, +and funding has already been secured for programs in biotechnology and +information technology. There are a large number of additional proposals +in areas such as advanced materials, energy, scientific computation, +manufacturing, cognitive science, and others. A Materials +Characterization Center, Microfabrication Center, CAD/CAM Lab, and +others are being built. A computer environment is also being developed. +It will consist of heterogeneous microprocessors such as micros and +workstations, connected with a few large minis and mainframes via a FDDI +(Fiber Distributed Data Interface) network. The network is in the form +of a dual ring of trees; optical fiber will be routed to various central +locations, and then Ethernet cables will connect to individual users. +The net will not only be connected to offices but also to all campus +housing. Some of this network is already installed. There is at least +one HP 70MIP workstation and many other workstations are presently in +boxes waiting for installation. The university claims that every +department will have or share a computer lab for use by graduate +students and faculty, and every faculty member will have a workstation. + +Well known software such as IMSL and SAS is installed and available +through the computer center. The new campus will be connected to others +in HK via a 9,600 baud line, and a T-1 line to Britain will be installed +sometime in 1992. Plans are to link the university via real-time video +and data paths to Asia, Europe (via London) and US (via California), to +allow it "to become one of the most international of all the world's +universities"! Certainly, the failed supercomputer for Hong Kong would +have been very useful. As things stand now users will have to find +creative ways to use distributed workstations. + +I have no special insight about the future prospects for this +university. Unfortunately, I did not meet with senior members of the +administration or the research faculty, but only with staff from +Computer Services, and one member of the new computer science +department. At this point the university has no track record and only +an energetic new faculty and developing physical plant. The university +could become the high-class research center that it hopes to be. Mostly +it will depend on the commitment of the Chinese government to maintain +the path set out by university founders, as well as that government's +ability to sustain the university's financial requirements. For senior +Western scientists who have joined the faculty I believe that things are +more clear. Most of these people are in the later stages of their +professional careers and the university now has more than enough momentum +to carry them along for a number of years. The same would be true for +visitors. It will be interesting though, to see how successful the +university is at recruiting mid career faculty, and it will be important +to follow progress here during the coming decade. + +My primary contact at HKUS&T is + Dr William Max Ivey + Director, Computer Services and Telecommunications + Hong Kong University of Science & Technology + 12/F, World Shipping Centre + Harbour City + 7 Canton Road, Tsimshatsui + Kowloon, Hong Kong + Tel: +852 302 1411, -1533; Fax: +852 736-7088 + Email: CCMAX@USTHK.BITNET +although his address and telephone number will change within the next +few months as the new campus is opened. + +THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC +HK-Poly is within walking distance of the center of Kowloon, thus an +urban campus, which is being expanded. As mentioned above HK-Poly is +more of a vocational center than a research university. Nevertheless it +has about 13,000 students, although only about 60% are degree +candidates. I met with + Mr. Dennis M.T. Yek + Head of Department + Hong Kong Polytechnic + Computer Center + Hung Hom, Kowloon + Hong Kong + Tel: +852 766-5940, -5932; Fax: +852 764-2647 +Poly's computing facilities include about 8 Vax 11/780s or equivalents, +some PCs, and terminals. There are no Unix workstations yet. Software +includes ACSL (for system simulation, including solution of differential +equations), IMSL, GLIM, Ansys, LP/Protran, Macsyma, SAS, SPSS, AutoCAD, +various database products such as Oracle, and a fair selection of +graphics software such as Movie, Gino, etc. As usual, the computer +center is overworked and understaffed. I had no opportunity to speak +with any members of the scientific faculty. + +All these schools are connected together via electronic networking +(Harnet: Hong Kong Academic & Research Network). The individual nodes +are connected either by leased/dedicated circuits or through the Hong +Kong Telephone Company DATAPAK service. There is a common gateway for +access to international networks. Interestingly, there is a printed +directory of electronic mail users that integrates all the universities +(very helpful). This might be available on-line as well. + +ROYAL OBSERVATORY (300 staff) +Main contact. + Mr. Yeung Kai Hing + Senior Scientific Officer + Royal Observatory + 134A Nathan Road + Kowloon, Hong Kong + Tel: +852 732-9331, Fax: +852 721-5034 +This is a department of the Hong Kong Government, that primarily operates +weather forecasting, cyclone warning and related meteorological and +geophysical services. The main facility stands on a wooded hill in the +center of downtown Kowloon. In crowded Hong Kong the land value alone +must be astronomical. The administration is housed in a beautiful British +colonial building dating from the 19th century, and one expects to see +white-suited moustached men with cold drinks sitting on the veranda. In +many ways the Observatory is a world apart from the frantic activity in +most other parts of Hong Kong. + +Various weather information is collected from ships, weather buoys, +aircraft, island and land stations, and data (including video) is also +transmitted by weather satellites and microwave. This includes such +things as air and sea soundings (wind, temperature, pressure, humidity, +solar radiation, evaporation, evapotranspiration, sea temperatures, sea +waves, tides, etc.), radar, microwave cloud pictures, rainfall, and +others. A Royal Navy officer is attached to the Observatory with the +function of liaising with Navy ships in the China Seas and western +Pacific. The Observatory is also responsible for coordinating marine +data for the South China Sea. Advice on marine climalogical conditions +is given to various companies, especially those engaged in offshore oil +activities. Staff from the Observatory also teach courses in atmospheric +science at Hong Kong universities. + +The main activities of the Observatory are as follows. + * Record keeping and climatological services + * Radioactivity monitoring and assessment in order to determine + background radiation levels in conjunction with Daya Bay Nuclear + Power Station. There is also a Monitoring and Assessment Center. + * Time service based on Caesium Beam Atomic Clock, and broadcast by + various radio stations. + * Geophysics and astronomy, primarily to monitor earthquake activity and + gravimetric measurements, via seismometers, and accelerographs, etc. + * Hydrometeorology, mostly via raingauges for water resources + information and flood forecasting models. + * Oceanography, including storm surge simulation, tidal monitoring and + modeling, and wave and swell numerical models. + * Applied meteorology, effect of terrain on wind flow and participates, + and in particular various studies related to locating the new Hong + Kong airport. + +Generally, weather related activities account for about 90% of the +Observatory's expenditures ($10-15M US). + +There are communications links between the Observatory and meteorological +centers in Tokyo, Bangkok and Beijing (9600 baud). All together, these +amount to 4-5 MBytes per day. This data, plus that generated locally is +processed into various charts and forecasts. Most of the computing is +being handled by several minicomputers, such as Data General Eclipse +S/140, MV20000, etc. There is a substantial amount of data acquisition, +plotting, display and tape archival equipment. Databased weather data +amounts to about 300MBytes/year, and Oracle is the main database product +in use. There were two IBM RS/6000 Unix workstations in crates yet to be +installed when I visited. The Observatory decided to purchase these +after the decision was made not to obtain a supercomputer for Hong Kong. +The staff is heavily involved in day-to-day forecasting, but would like +to do more serious numerical modeling and a small supercomputer +maintained elsewhere would have been ideal. The IBMs will also be +useful but will require maintenance and training. These will be the +first Unix machines at the Observatory. + +More computer horsepower will also enable them to work on image +enhancement techniques, computer animation, etc. Storm surge models have +been carried out at NOAA, and a single layer vertically integrated bay +model has been run at the Observatory. The staff would like to increase +this to a multilayer model as well as to perform various finite element +computations. Hong Kong weather is subject to the vagaries of both +tropical and extratropical weather systems as well as Asian monsoons. +Hilly terrain and large land/sea contrasts give rise to complex small +scale atmospheric circulations, leading to significant local weather +variations. Some very interesting modeling is being done using a limited +area model developed by the Japan Meteorological Agency. On current +computers this is run once each day to give forecasts up to two days +ahead. Some of this computation will be very much improved with the new +workstations. + +Observatory staff do not appear to be active in research, although there +are clearly many fascinating topics that could be examined. I also did +not get the impression that there was much collaborative activity between +the Observatory and universities in Hong Kong, even though there is an +active international meteorological community that they do interact with. +There is no electronic mail, a serious deficiency, and until recently not +enough computer power for significant numerical research. Nevertheless +the Observatory has many interesting problems, a long scholarly history, +and a wonderful setting. I think that the new HKUS&T would be well served +by developing some cooperative projects. + +----------------------------END OF REPORT------------------------------ + + +-- +Shun Yan Cheung | cheung@mathcs.emory.edu | Office: (404) 727-3823 +Emory University | cheung@emory.bitnet | Fax: (404) 727-5611 +Dept of Math and CS | "Obtaining freedom is easy, using it responsibly is hard" +Atlanta, GA 30322 | "If the people lead, the leaders will follow." + |