The year 2013 marks the Golden Jubilee of CUHK. Starting from January, an array of celebratory events has been organized, reaching a climax in December. The annual Alumni Homecoming Day and the Golden Jubilee University Presidents' Forum were held on 7 December and the 'CUHK 50th Anniversary Performance: The Magical Mall' was staged that night, turning the campus into a land of fun and excitement from dawn to dusk. The highlight of the Golden Jubilee was the 50th Anniversary Banquet which took place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 8 December.
This year, the CUHK Alumni Homecoming drew over 5,000 alumni, their families and friends to the campus. The Caring Alumni EcoCampus Trail and the Golden Jubilee Alumni Garden, both signifying the close connections between the alumni and their alma mater, were opened that day.
Starting from the Golden Jubilee Garden of Appreciation, a new CUHK landmark located in central campus between Sir Run Run Shaw Hall and Y.C. Liang Hall in celebration of the 50th anniversary, the Caring Alumni EcoCampus Trail connects the nine Colleges with central campus and the Graduate School. CUHK members and friends are welcome to adopt plaques placed along the trail. All donations will be contributed to scholarships of the University and the Colleges.
A total of 51 trees were planted at the Golden Jubilee Alumni Garden located at East Campus, representing alumni who graduated from the University in the past 50 years and those from the three constituent Colleges before the founding of the University.
During the 'CUHK 50th Anniversary Performance: The Magical Mall' held at night, the University Mall was decorated in lights and illuminated by special effects. The facade of the University Library became a massive screen for video projection, inviting the audience to join a trip down memory lane to revisit noteworthy moments in the past five decades.
A great variety of performances were staged, including singing, drama, dancing and a magic show. Student activists from the old times once again gathered at the Beacon to reflect on the unique history of the landmark. Distinguished teacher Prof. Lo Wai-luen had written beautiful prose about the swifts who called the University Library their home and artist Hoi Chiu turned those words into images with sand painting.
Through the presentation on stage of different facets of life at CUHK, the programme paid tribute to the scholars who have gone before us, as well as plants, workmen and school bus drivers who had graced our campus with their presence. It also highlighted the perseverance of CUHK members in realizing their dreams. During the peak period, an estimate of 6,000 plus participants gathered at the University Mall and over 1,000 computers and mobile devices were tuned in to the live broadcast.