Message from Department Chairman

To be a Scribe of Your Own Time

The Department of History was established in 1963, when the Chinese University of Hong Kong first opened its doors. Since then, generations of historians have produced excellent, meaningful work here. Professors like Ch’ien Mu, Yu Ying-shih, Mou Jun-sun, Yen Keng-wang, Chuan Han-sheng, and Sun Kuo-tung analyzed Chinese history, and found new ways to study it, and to contribute to the development of China. Building upon their efforts the History Department has shifted its focus in the more than half century since 1963. For example, we extended our studies to cover not only the history of emperors and their senior ministers, but also the history of common people. For this reason, we not only read and study the government archives, but also consult the interview records and stone inscriptions we have discovered in temples and ancestral halls. In addition, the department now offers over 80 courses every year, making us the largest and most comprehensive history department in Hong Kong.

But our proudest achievement is our students, and their ongoing contributions to society. The History Department has produced many fine historians, as well as many other graduates who work in sectors not directly related to history. Their training in the department – such as learning to understand classical Chinese, to analyze texts and documents, and to present their ideas on paper – stand them in good stead as they go on to other pursuits. But whatever their vocation, by the time they leave CUHK the graduates of the History Department are equipped to be the witnesses and scribes of their own times.

I welcome you and invite you to become one of us.

Professor Cheung Sui Wai
at Fung King Hey Building, CUHK