Talking to 91-year-old Jao Tsung-I is like being in the presence of a living encyclopedia of Chinese history. Indeed, it would be very easy to lose one's way as the internationally recognised sinologist races through topics such as oracle bone inscriptions (the earliest form of Chinese writing, dating back to 1700BC), relations among ancient fortune-tellers and the Dunhuang manuscripts.
To most 'modern people' - as he calls them - the topics that Professor Jao has dedicated the past seven decades to studying may appear too difficult and remote.
'Modern people are always eager for entertainment, which doesn't leave much time to pursue knowledge,' Professor Jao said, in between sips of tea at the University of Hong Kong's Jao Tsung-I Petite Ecole research centre, which was set up in his name.
Professor Jao's voice was impassioned as he spoke in his signature Cantonese with a Chiu Chow accent on how to get young people interested in Chinese studies.
The first thing 'modern people' need to do was maintain a calm mind and learn to live with solitude; too many spend too much time watching TV or at a computer, he said. 'They are now like machines or half-machines. Their spirits are caught by the virtual world. Soccer, for example, has occupied many people's minds. How can they have time for knowledge?' Professor Jao said
There are many ways to describe Professor Jao: an outstanding contemporary scholar in Chinese literature and history; a walking encyclopedia in philosophy, art, religious studies, archaeology and etymology; or a painter, poet and an expert in classical prose, essays and the history of music.
Last month, he became the first Hong Kong scholar to be awarded a fellowship of the mainland's Central Research Institute of Culture and History, a position that is directly appointed by the premier.