BXAI

Lu Yang is a history professor at Peking University and the Director of Graduate Studies at Yenching Academy of Peking University.  At the BXAI Summer Program 2018, Professor Lu led the “Heritage Preservation” topic learning stream, where he engaged students in exploring the relationships between urban planning, heritage sites, and local communities.

For Professor Lu, the study of history is an exciting journey of learning about our past and finding connections between the past and present – a journey that he believes adds value to the cultural traditions of the world.  His career as a historian has led him to realize how his personal experiences influence his work.  “Sometimes your experiences enrich your knowledge and make it easier for you to connect to certain periods or people of the past, but on the other hand, your experiences can also limit you in your understanding of historical contexts that may seem foreign to you,” he explains. “My goal is to constantly maintain a balance of using my own experience to understand the past and allowing the past to teach me where my experience is limited.”

Professor Lu encourages students to stay inquisitive and to continuously reflect on their positions, even if they feel confident about what they know on a particular subject.  To further their learning and strengthen their critical thinking, he encourages students to engage and even challenge professors through productive conversations that explore the relationship between assumption and research.

Dodo Cheng is the founder of Sharing Kitchen HK, a social enterprise and food production platform that seeks to empower grassroots women by connecting them with local restaurants. By gaining access to restaurant kitchens during non-peak hours, Sharing Kitchen enables women with a passion for cooking to realize their dream, earn a living, and contribute to society. So far, six restaurants have pledged their support to the project by sharing their kitchens with underprivileged chefs.

With a background in social work, Cheng’s early community service experiences in low-income areas of Hong Kong allowed him to engage with the grassroots, who expressed their desire to take charge of the various issues affecting their own communities. As he worked to craft solutions to these issues, he decided to involve the business sector as a way to make a bigger impact. “I realized that tackling social issues is not only the responsibility of the government, but should also concern the business sector, civil society, and community members,” says Cheng. “When people join hands, things will change dramatically.”

Exploring the idea of using a sharing economy concept as a way to uplift grassroots communities, Cheng realized that he could mutually benefit underserved individuals and businesses by creating a “sharing kitchen”, which would provide flexible job opportunities to talented home cooks while taking advantage of underused restaurant space during off-peak hours. Two years on, Cheng has not only witnessed the success of the venture, but more importantly, the impact it has had on the individuals themselves. “Empowerment is key as it allows people to really take charge of their own lives by doing something they love, which encourages self-sustainability,” says Cheng.

As a panelist at the “Dialogue with Social Entrepreneurs” session at the BXAI Summer Program 2018, Cheng shared about the importance of empowerment in social entrepreneurship and how the business and social sectors can work together to make a positive impact. Cheng encourages students interested in the field to pursue their passion for social change, saying, “While social entrepreneurship is often about what you can do for the community, there is also a lot to be gained along the way. You will learn, grow, and be transformed.”

Yosuke Hirayama is a professor of housing and urban studies at the Graduate School of Human Development and Environment at Kobe University, specializing in housing and urban change, home ownership, social inequality, and comparative housing policy.  Professor Hirayama spoke at the 2018 BXAI Summer Program’s “Urban-Rural Integration” topic learning stream, where he examined the challenges brought by urban-rural integration today in China and other East Asian countries.

Reflecting back on the journey of his career, Professor Hirayama recalls his early passion for studying architecture in university.  However, having been brought up in a modest neighborhood in Osaka, where he lived in a small home and encountered various issues in terms of infrastructure and urban planning, Professor Hirayama decided to shift his focus from architecture to housing and urban studies as he wanted to tackle housing issues that affect the masses.  “Students in the department of architecture usually want to become ‘cool architects’.  They want to build museums or cultural centers,” he says.  “But I was more interested in dealing with housing issues and ‘architecture for ordinary people’, and this is why I decided to pursue housing and urban studies instead.”

While Professor Hirayama has remained in the housing and urban studies field for the past three decades, he highlights one defining moment in his career, which led him into a 10-year stint in post-disaster reconstruction. This was the devastating Kobe earthquake, which occurred in 1995 and left widespread death and destruction.  As an alumnus of and researcher at Kobe University, Professor Hirayama felt compelled to participate in recovery and reconstruction efforts, despite not having much background knowledge in the area.  This experience reshaped his perspective on his life and career and today, he advises young people to remain open to what the future may hold for their careers.  “It is important for students to pursue their passions, but they should understand that they may encounter unexpected circumstances along the way.  And while things may not happen according to their initial plan, they should not be discouraged or fearful but take it as an opportunity to explore something new.”

Joanna Smith, co-founder and creative director of a Laos-based social enterprise, Ock Pop Tok, shares about her journey of finding her calling in Laos and how she translated her passion for the arts and collectivism into a meaningful career in social entrepreneurship.

Shengjun Zhu is Assistant Professor at Peking University’s College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, where he specializes in globalization and regional development. At the BXAI Summer Program 2018, Zhu spoke at the “Urban-Rural Integration” topic learning stream, where he encouraged students to consider issues and opportunities resulting from East Asia’s rapid urbanization.

With a PhD, a master’s, and a bachelor’s degree in geography, as well as a bachelor’s degree in economics, Zhu’s interdisciplinary background has allowed him to investigate social and economic issues from a unique point of view that incorporates multiple perspectives. He stresses his belief in the importance of all social sciences, saying, “When we consider development, we should pay attention to the social, historical, economic, and geographical aspects. As an example, if we give too much weight to just one aspect, such as economic development, we end up adopting a one-sided view that limits our understanding and invites a host of negative effects, such as environmental pollution and child labor.”

He advises students interested in pursuing research in social sciences: “To better understand the world, we should be open-minded and embrace diversity, differences, dynamics, and contingency.”

Jessica Lam is the co-founder of Kaiterra, a Beijing-based social enterprise that monitors and maps the world’s air quality in an effort to better understand and reduce air pollution. She reflects back on how a book that she read during her teenage years changed her perspective and outlook on life, and a change in behavior opened doors of opportunity for her.