Led by Prof. David Cheng Chang, this project focuses on digitizing and digitalizing the diaries of Mr. Lee Yonggang (李永剛先生), an esteemed composer and music educator in modern China and Taiwan. These diaries are written by Mr. Lee Yonggang during the tumultuous Sino-Japanese War, as well as the subsequent years of peace in post-1949 Taiwan. These diaries serve as a remarkable historical resource, offering a unique perspective from a “small intellectual” that resonates deeply with the common people. Unlike diaries authored by political leaders like Chiang Kai-shek, Lee’s diaries provide a more personal and relatable narrative.

A heartfelt thanks to Prof. Leo Lee Ou-fan (李歐梵教授), who is also our HKUST’s IAS Distinguished Visiting Professor, for granting us permission to digitize the physical copy of his father’s (Mr. Lee Yonggang) diaries and use them for developing digital humanities project.

Lee’s wartime diaries document his own experiences, as well as those of his school and family, as they fled from advancing Japanese troops, capturing the arduous journey of refugees. His peacetime diaries chronicle the history of Taiwan through the lens of a music teacher and composer, who had extensive interactions with a diverse range of cultural and intellectual figures.

The Digital Humanities Seed Funding received by this project was utilized for students recruitment. The two recruited students, Crystal (who is majoring in Computer Engineering) and Wanwen (who is majoring in Global China Studies), actively participated in the project during the fall semester of 2024. This interdisciplinary collaboration allowed the team to combine technical expertise with humanities insights, fostering innovative approaches to digital humanities. By bringing together diverse disciplines, we spark new insights and stimulate imaginative breakthroughs, igniting fresh ideas to create richer interpretations of data, ultimately enhancing our understanding of on Lee’s diaries.

Highlights of Our Accomplishments

Throughout the project period, the team digitized a selection of Lee’s physical diaries through scanning, conducted research on the places and people that mentioned in the diaries, and created a map visualization with heatmap, timeline and price indices elements on one of the volumes – the one that was written in 1945 which titled 《虎口餘生錄》.

“…This project has provided me with a rare chance to engage with related topics, allowing a lively result of historical research instead of traditional papers and essays. The most rewarding part is being deeply involved in this field, where I have learned new ideas and ongoing projects presented by other scholars.

This experience is great practice for my programming skills, particularly in website development and data visualization. Additionally, I have explored lesser-known aspects of Chinese history that I am willing to understand and know more. I encourage everyone to consider exploring different types of projects like this project to broaden the horizon.”

CHAN Ching, Crystal
Year 4, BEng in Computer Engineering

“…My primary responsibilities in this project included scanning paper diaries into digital images, searching for relevant data and maps, and designing posters for price lists…As a Global China Studies (GCS) student, this was my first experience using GitHub. I learned how to modify the code on this platform by downloading it and editing it with VS Code. I also learned to use VS Code to update the webpage’s content…

Overall, through this project, I engaged with invaluable primary historical materials and utilized data scanning to record and preserve these firsthand accounts from 80 years ago. I also uncovered historical details embedded within these materials…“

PENG Wanwen
Year 4, BSc in Global China Studies