By the time the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon had run its course on 25 January 2015, our tenacious runners sporting their smart CUHK running shirts and all the supporting students, staff and alumni, who heartily cheered for them along the race route, were definitely highlights of the event.

This year, with 2,400 CUHK members joining the CUHK Marathon Team, CUHK has won the 2nd prize in the “Most Supportive Group Award”. After months of tireless training in preparation for the race, our runners have performed remarkably well in the Marathon.

That day, a 500-member strong CUHK support team arrived at various points along the routes when it was still dark, to make various preparations to back up our runners, who they also cheered for during the race. In addition, CUHK Sports Medicine Team had their hands full helping CUHK runners who had completed the race to relax their sore muscles.

Let us revisit the exuberant atmosphere of the Marathon and the overwhelming sense of CUHK solidarity through the video. For all photos of the marathon, please click here.

On 6 February, the University and Go.Asia organized an event on the rooftop garden at AITB (An Integrated Teaching Building) to enjoy the harvest from this special place on campus. Among the guests were the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung, Director of School of Architecture Prof. Nelson Chan, Go.Asia founder and famous actor Donnie Yen and his wife Cissy Wang, Michelin starred chef Kenny Chan, chef and author Alvina Chan, experienced farming professional and also a founding member of the Sustainable Ecological Ethical Development Foundation Mr. Fung Chi-fai, and Chief Executive Officer of DotAsia, Mr. Edmon Chung. The participants shared the produce of rooftop farming and made delicious Chinese pancakes out of the harvest. Before they departed, new seeds were sown for the spring.

The rooftop garden was built in 2012, and staff and students of the School of Architecture have been growing crops there since. In October 2014, a Rooftop Cultivation Project was launched by Prof. Thomas Chung, associate professor in the School of Architecture, and led by Mr. Fung Chi-fai. The project promotes the benefits of rooftop cultivation, which offers great opportunities for members of the university to enjoy the nature and the fresh taste of local vegetables. At the moment, the garden grows lettuce, tomato, Swiss chard, choy sum, eggplant, cabbage, beetroot, broccoli, and other vegetables. Every two months or so, a harvest and tasting event will be held for participants to gather and socialize over the sweet fruits of their labour.

Let’s enjoy the harvest feast through the pictures.

In late January, cherry blossoms outside Chih Hsing Hall at New Asia College were blooming graciously, the soft pink petals looking delicate and wonderfully charming under the clear blue sky. These trees are the Japanese Flowering Cherry, one of the best species from Japan, and they were gifts to the Department of Japanese Studies in 2012 for its 20th anniversary. This has now become one of the must-visit spots on campus at the time of year.

At the same time, other flowers come into blossom at different locations on campus: the purple Trailing Lantana outlining the graceful stone stairs of The Forum; Bougainvillea growing vigorously on the slanting slope at United College, waving their sprigs of flaming flowers in the breeze; stunning Roses just opening up their lovely and romantically fragranced petals behind the Main Library.

The campus of CUHK is indeed a botanical garden. Around 60% of the 137-hectare sight is covered in greenery. This includes 355 species of plants and 192 species of trees, making CUHK a true epitome of Hong Kong’s ecology. With Azalea and Bauhinia Variegate in spring, Flamboyant and Blue Jacaranda in summer, Hong Kong Orchid Tree in autumn and the poetic red leaves in winter…what a pleasure it is to study in such a picturesque campus!