Students Sharing

1. WU Yueqian, MA in Chinese Studies
   "Outstanding students are well-motivated to explore the world and discover themselves. They also possess the curiosity for discovering new questions, the rationality for analyzing different situations, and the openness for understanding others."
   

   I used to major in Chinese Language and Literature when I was an undergraduate student. Except for great interest in this field, I also realize some innovative ideas come at the intersectional parts of different disciplines. In this way, the MA program of Chines Studies is a great platform, in which the interdisciplinary courses touch on different areas, such as Chinese film, art history, anthropology, economics, etc. generating sparks in my mind and broadening my horizon.
   
   From my perspective, outstanding students are well-motivated to explore the world and discover themselves. They also possess the curiosity for discovering new questions, the rationality for analyzing different situations, and the openness for understanding others.
   
   Our CU teachers are not only excellent scholars, but also very patient and kind to us. I have been lucky enough to meet them. Sometimes I felt myself asking too many questions, but they were willing to spend their time guiding and encouraging me to keep exploring. During the process, I have realized how important it is to develop a critical and independent mind, which will keep me conscious and strong to overcome the difficulties no matter in study or life. Also, CU teachers taught us many learning methods, such as how to conduct fieldwork, how to establish the theoretical framework of a brand-new field, which will always be helpful since learning is a lifelong journey. I may forget the specific knowledge that I have learned from class someday, but thankfully those methods are gradually becoming part of my thinking mode, which will always stay with me.
   
   There are so many memorable experiences. I enjoy the activities organized by our department in particular. For example, we took fieldtrips in anthropology, art history, and film studies classes. Some scheduled and unscheduled lectures and reading clubs are also appealing to me. We got chances to gain some insight into different artworks and culture in different places together. To be honest, sometimes I also doubt whether the humanities subjects are practical enough, but these activities make me understand how to apply humanities studies into practice.
   
   During my study, the biggest challenge I met was a short film-shooting exercise in one of our film studies classes. Without any relevant experience before, I had to work very hard adapting to the role of a scriptwriter, director, and photographer within a month. However, when the short film was shown in class, I felt a sense of achievement. This experience boosted my self-confidence as my ability of planning, organizing and quick learning improved.
   
   I always admire people like our CU teachers with multiple identities of outstanding scholar, editor, writer and journalist at the same time. From my point of view, the significance of their work is to record and to deliver their thoughts, which not only reflects on the diversity of the world but also inspires others. I hope I could become such a person someday in the future.
   
   
   

2. LEE Him Nok Jonathan, MPhil in Chinese Language and Literature
   "I believe an outstanding student should not limit oneself to a small particular area of knowledge, but should uncover a good command of interdisciplinary knowledge, and contribute to society with what one is good at."
   

   
   I graduated from a secondary school which is traditionally renowned for her science training. Like many of my classmates, I was a science student who would not devote much time to literature, arts or history. Although I did fairly well in science subjects, I was convinced I was more gifted in the study of Chinese. Also, as I would like to promote Chinese language and culture to the younger generation, I decided to give myself four years to examine my potential in Chinese studies.
   
   Before entering university, I was worried that Chinese would be taught in the same way as in secondary school through mundane reading comprehension and argumentative essays. Surprisingly, the curriculum of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature provided me with wide exposure and solid foundation for studying Chinese, ranging from linguistics, philology and ancient texts to classical and modern literature. The variety amazed me – countless, borderless and limitless – there are always new avenues in Chinese language studies. I believe an outstanding student should not limit oneself to a small particular area of knowledge, but should uncover a good command of interdisciplinary knowledge, and contribute to society with what one is good at. This idea infiltrated me deeply since I joined New Asia College / Yale University Student Exchange Programme during my freshman year, meeting with all sorts of intelligent students in the United States and Hong Kong.
   
   Inspired by the modern literature courses taught by Prof. Ngai Ling Tun and Prof. Kwong Ho Yee Connie, I was encouraged to equip myself with knowledge beyond the scope of my major study, so that I claimed double minors in French and Philosophy. The world-class philosophy courses (CUHK has ranked the first in Philosophy in Asia for four consecutive years) have never failed to shock me. Not only did the classes deepen my understanding of Chinese ancient texts and literary theories, but they also motivated me to ponder the meanings of life, community and the world.
   
   In the meantime, I am taking advantage of the science training in the past and am devoted in Linguistics, particularly excavating the hidden treasures of Cantonese. My interest in prosodic syntax date back to my immature thoughts of counting the rhythm of Cantonese during my senior secondary years of study. Back in the past, I would never imagine there could be a few branches of Linguistics which focus on the rhythm of languages and one of them is prosodic syntax. The study of prosodic syntax was coincidentally founded by Prof. Feng Shengli, the supervisor of my undergraduate thesis. After graduating from the University, I am currently working on my MPhil thesis with Prof. Tang Sze-wing, an expert in Cantonese Linguistics, at the Graduate School. Their achievements in prosodic syntax and Cantonese grammar have laid an important foundation for my interdisciplinary research in Cantonese sentence-final particles and prosody. I am thankful that they have great belief in my ability and express their full support in my long-term academic research.
   
   My story across humanities and science was recognized by obtaining the HSBC Hong Kong Scholarship in 2017/18. I fully appreciate that the Faculty of Arts and the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid took this opportunity to expose me to mass media so as to encourage DSE students to be bold to chase their dreams and dream big dreams. Last year, I was privileged to be the awardee of the Cheng Ming Award, the highest honor bestowed on New Asia students. It is definitely my life-long honour which recognized my efforts in multi-disciplinary academic achievements, extra-curricular achievements as well as social services.
   
   Right now, I am in pursuit of a PhD degree abroad. I am grateful to have encountered Prof. Virginia Yip and Prof. Patrick Wong Chun Man from the Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages this year. Their remarkable success in bilingualism and neurolinguistics have greatly inspired my research projects onwards in quest of bilingual minds and brains, especially the way Patrick uses cognitive neuroscience (including neurogenetics) to explain biologically why language phenomena occur in a particular way is truly astounding. I hope that one day I can truly combine humanities and science, to demonstrate the beauty and merits of Chinese language and culture through the precise lens of science. I am confident I can do so, given the unique and comprehensive training from humanities to science at the Faculty of Arts, CUHK.