Rob Koepp's presentation

The Cambridge-China“Kangqiao”Phenomenon
Cambridge Enigmas, Chinese riddles,
And
emergent opportunities
Rob Koepp
5 October 2010

Farewell Again to Cambridge (“Kangqiao”)
So lightly I depart
Aslightly as I came
I lightly wave farewell
To clouds in westward sky
…
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© Rob Koepp, 2010
Xu Zhimo, 1897—1931
Modern romantic poet
1922: studied for seven months at King’s
Signature poem: Farewell Again (1928)
Taoist sense of sensual abandonment and self-actualization

Kangqiao As Imagined in China
Romantic
Creative
Free (whimsical)
Intellectual
Elite
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Taoist
Confucian

“Two Cultures” of Chinese Thought
5 October 2010
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Confucius
551—479 BCE
Analects
Confucianism
Lao Zi
c. 600 BCE—?
Tao Te Ching
Taoism
Enlightenment through nature
Man is complete abandonment
“Nothing” is perfection
Order out of chaos
Populist
Enlightenment through discipline and study
Man is good humanism
“Control” is perfection
Chaos demands order
Elitist

Chinese Riddles
5 October 2010
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Integrated Dualities
Morality: Taoist and Confucian
Spirituality: Chinese and foreign (Buddhism)
Identity: national and regional
Society: ancient (feudal) and modern
Ideology: Communism and Confucianism

Cambridge Enigmas
5 October 2010
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C. P. Snow, The Two Cultures (1959)
Bertrand Russel, The Prospects of Industrial Civilization (1923)
Joseph Needham, Science and Civilization in China (1954 …)

C. P. Snow’s “Two Cultures”
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Charles Percy Snow, 1905—1980
Physicist and novelist
Fellow of Christ’s College
1959 Rede Lecture
Conflicting Dualities
Science versus humanities
Upper versus lower classes
West versus East
Capitalism versus Communism

Larger Contexts
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Cambridge Approach
Socratic
“+” Builds on difference
“−” Ripped by difference
Conflict reveals truth
Chinese Approach
Introspective
“+” Mergesdifferences
“−” Stifles differences
Harmonyis truth

The Prospects of Industrial Civilization
Bertrand Russell, 1872—1970
China accommodates (and inspires) Cambridge
Peking University, 1921
5 years after “exile” from Trinity College
“… months of quiet which the gentle atmosphere … of a non-industrial country such as China.”
By nature industrial organization fosters dictatorship.
Confucian Communists agree but with “humane” expectations
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© Rob Koepp, 2010

“The Man Who Loved China”
5 October 2010
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Joseph Needham, 1900—1995
Creator of Science and Civilization in China, ongoing CUP series since 1954
A man of three “two cultures”
Disciplinary: Science and liberal arts
Societal: Western and Chinese civilizations
Temporal: Past and present

Needham Puzzles
Original puzzle: Why, with its advanced techno-scientific accomplishments, did China not industrialize before the West?
The overlooked Cambridge riddle: why, with all of Cambridge’s scientific accomplishments, did Britain not dominate late-stage global industrialization?
The post-industrial China puzzle: will China innovate (and not only manufacture) for future economic growth?
The new Cambridge riddle: will Cambridge participate in leading (versus following) global technology trends?
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© Rob Koepp, 2010

Needham Reflection
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In some ways, China never lost its lead…
“… in China there developed an organic philosophy of Nature that closely resembles that which modern science has been obliged to adopt after three centuries of scientific materialism.”

Riddle Answers
13th Century: Cambridge University
Academic excellence
Intellectual freedom
Political support
17th Century: Britain’s Age of Reason
Empirical Science
Tolerance and dissidence build society
Science, capital, industry interact
2oth Century: Silicon Valley
Regional economic-academic strategy
Industry supports academia
Management grows companies
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Revolutions more in methods and environmentthan in minds

New Riddle: Confucian Work Ethic Ceiling
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Late 20th Century: Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore
Early 21st Century: China

China’s Kangqiao Opportunities
Break Through the Confucian Ceiling
Rediscover Taoist roots
Scientific creativity
Innovative management
Entrepreneurial government
Proactively engage the West
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The Tao in The West
Science and Civilization in China
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Fuzzy Logic
The Tao of Physics
The Tao Jones Averages
Building Cross Cultural Competence

Mutual Kangqiao Opportunities
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Cambridge
Hard Power Strength
Sci-tech infrastructure
Soft Power Strengths
Educational ideals
Social aspirations
Innovation models
Management methods
Brand
China
Hard Power Strength
Manufacturing base
Soft Power Strengths
Social morals
Global aspirations
Holistic science
Harmonized living
Allure

Will Cambridge Manifest its Kangqiao?
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Cambridge campus in China …
Other universities already have
Transnational R&D and scientific discovery …
Sony-Ericsson
Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Chinese finance in Cambridge …
Can the Tao of investment work here?

Rob Koepp's presentation

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