With a generous donation from the Edwin S. L. Cheng Research Fund for General Education and Philosophy, the Office of University General Education of The Chinese University of Hong Kong established the Research Centre for General Education in 2005, renamed as the Baldwin Cheng Research Centre for General Education in 2011.  The BCRCGE’s brief is to research important topics relating to general education and organize related academic activities so as to promote exchanges amongst tertiary institutions everywhere concerning their practical experiences.

Since its foundation, The Chinese University of Hong Kong has taken on the melding of China’s “humanism” with the West’s “liberal education” as its mission, striving to find the right balance between a liberal education and a professional education.  General education has always been compulsory for all undergraduates, its aim being to nurture knowledgeable intellectuals with broad horizons.

During the 21st Century, an era characterized by the globalized knowledge economy, tertiary education that consists solely of specialized training in individual disciplines is unable to meet the demands for the talent required in the new millennium.  Accordingly, general education is being looked upon with increasingly greater importance in the academic world, both domestically and abroad.  The establishment of the Baldwin Cheng Research Centre for General Education is tailored purposely to assist in promoting the development of general education in Chinese speaking areas and meeting the challenges of the new millennium.