Book Talk with Daniel Bell: The Dean of Shandong [RESCHEDULED]

17:45     Registration
18:00     Opening Remarks
18:05     Fireside Chat
18:35     Q&A
18:55     Closing Remarks
19:00     Book Signing
19:15     End

ASHK Members Ticket: HKD 100
Non-Member Ticket: HKD 150

Asia Society Hong Kong Center is proud to present Daniel Bell, Professor, Chair of Political Theory with the Faculty of Law at the University of Hong Kong and author of The Dean of Shandong, a chronicle of his experience serving as the Dean of the School of Political Science and Public Administration at Shandong University (Qingdao) from 2017 to 2022 and one of the Financial Times Best Books of 2023 - Politics.

In his book, Professor Bell gives us an inside look at the workings of China’s academia and political system. In a discussion with Brian Wong, Assistant Professor in Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong, he will explore the lessons learned from his unique experience, his perspectives on China’s political system, and where China’s educational system will evolve from here. 

Daniel A. Bell is Professor, Chair of Political Theory with the Faculty of Law at the University of Hong Kong. He served as Dean of the School of Political Science and Public Administration at Shandong University (Qingdao) from 2017 to 2022.  His books include The Dean of Shandong (2023), Just Hierarchy (co-authored with Wang Pei, 2020), The China Model (2015), The Spirit of Cities (co-authored with Avner de-Shalit, 2012), China’s New Confucianism (2008), Beyond Liberal Democracy (2007), and East Meets West (2000), all published by Princeton University Press.  He is also the author of Communitarianism and Its Critics (Oxford University Press, 1993).  He is founding editor of the Princeton-China series (Princeton University Press) which translates and publishes original and influential academic works from China. His works have been translated in 23 languages. He has been interviewed in English, Chinese, and French. In 2018, he was awarded the Huilin Prize and was honored as a “Cultural Leader” by the World Economic Forum.

Brian Wong is an Assistant Professor in Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong, teaching and researching on the intersection of political and moral philosophy, geopolitics, and nascent technologies such as artificial intelligence. He is also the Chief Strategy Officer to the Hong Kong-ASEAN Foundation, which aims to promote a deeper and firmer understanding of ASEAN countries within Hong Kong, and vice versa. A Rhodes Scholar, Brian graduated with a DPhil in Political Theory from the University of Oxford, and has published two books on global geopolitics, Sino-US relations, and Hong Kong's future. 

About The Dean of Shandong:

On January 1, 2017, Daniel Bell was appointed dean of the School of Political Science and Public Administration at Shandong University—the first foreign dean of a political science faculty in mainland China’s history. In The Dean of Shandong, Bell chronicles his experiences as what he calls “a minor bureaucrat,” offering an inside account of the workings of Chinese academia and what they reveal about China’s political system. It wasn’t all smooth sailing—Bell wryly recounts sporadic bungles and misunderstandings—but Bell’s post as dean provides a unique vantage point on China today.

Bell, neither a Chinese citizen nor a member of the Chinese Communist Party, was appointed as dean because of his scholarly work on Confucianism—but soon found himself coping with a variety of issues having little to do with scholarship or Confucius. These include the importance of hair color and the prevalence of hair-dyeing among university administrators, both male and female; Shandong’s drinking culture, with endless toasts at every shared meal; and some unintended consequences of an intensely competitive academic meritocracy. As dean, he also confronts weightier matters: the role at the university of the Party secretary, the national anticorruption campaign and its effect on academia (Bell asks provocatively, “What’s wrong with corruption?”), and formal and informal modes of censorship. Considering both the revival of Confucianism in China over the last three decades and what he calls “the Communist comeback” since 2008, Bell predicts that China’s political future is likely to be determined by both Confucianism and Communism.

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The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers and participants and, unless expressly stated to the contrary, do not reflect the opinion, position or official policy of Asia Society Hong Kong, its members, or its committees. Asia Society Hong Kong does not endorse or approve and assumes no responsibility for the content of the information presented.