terms week3

yinyang

Yinyang (yin-yang) is one of the dominant concepts shared by different schools throughout the history of Chinese philosophy. Just as with many other Chinese philosophical notions, the influences of yinyang are easy to observe, but its conceptual meanings are hard to define. Despite the differences in the interpretation, application, and appropriation of yinyang, three basic themes underlie nearly all deployments of the concept in Chinese philosophy: (1) yinyang as the coherent fabric of nature and mind, exhibited in all existence, (2) yinyang as jiao (interaction) between the waxing and waning of the cosmic and human realms, and (3) yinyang as a process of harmonization ensuring a constant, dynamic balance of all things. As the Zhuangzi (Chuang-tzu) claims, “Yin in its highest form is freezing while yang in its highest form is boiling. The chilliness comes from heaven while the warmness comes from the earth. The interaction of these two establishes he (harmony), so it gives birth to things. Perhaps this is the law of everything yet there is no form being seen.”(Zhuangzi, Chapter 21). In none of these conceptions of yinyang is there a valuational hierarchy, as if yin could be abstracted from yang (or vice versa), regarded as superior or considered metaphysically separated and distinct. Instead, yinyang is emblematic of valuational equality rooted in the unified, dynamic, and harmonized structure of the cosmos. As such, it has served as a heuristic mechanism for formulating a coherent view of the world throughout Chinese intellectual and religious history.






The first written record of using these two characters together appears in a verse from the Shijing (Book of Songs): “Viewing the scenery at a hill, looking for yinyang.” This indicates that yang is the sunny side and yin is the shady side of hill. This effect of the sun exists at the same time over the hill.

http://www.iep.utm.edu/y/yinyang.htm
http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/YinYang.htm

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Air pollution

Air Quality Statistics

To monitor the quality of the air over Hong Kong, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) operates fixed measuring stations for gaseous and particulate pollutants. In the following figures, air monitoring data for 2007 are compared with the Air Quality Objectives.

Further details of air quality over the territory and how it is measured are available in the "Air Quality in Hong Kong" annual reports, available from the EPD's web site.




http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/air/data/aq_stat.html

http://www.cleartheair.org.hk/

Climate Change Hong Kong

http://www.hko.gov.hk/climate_change/climate_change_e.htm

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