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Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung, Vice-Chancellor of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) recently hosted a cocktail reception for international, mainland and local students.  About 100 students from over 30 countries or regions, consuls and donors of non-local student scholarships were in attendance at the party, enjoying a variety of cross-cultural performances and programmes.

Professor Sung remarked, ‘The idea of this cocktail reception is for students from different cultures and backgrounds to experience Chinese culture and heritage.  Along with that, you can have a stimulating time meeting with friends who come from different parts of the world.  The Chinese University has striven to cross-fertilize Chinese and Western academic and cultural traditions since its inception in 1963.  To date, we have forged ties with over 300 universities, research institutes, government organizations and funding agencies across 6 continents.  We have recorded continuing growth in our student exchange programmes.’

This year, the theme of the reception was ‘Cultural Night’.  Professor Sung deliberately hosted the reception at the Art Museum of the Institute of Chinese Studies to provide the guests and students an opportunity to experience the Chinese heritage through various exhibitions including modern Chinese paintings by well-known masters, Chinese furniture art during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and Zisha tea pots.  The reception also featured other Chinese cultural programmes including traditional Chinese music pieces performed by New Asia College Chinese Music Society and a Chinese fan dance performed by students from the US, Canada, Europe and the mainland.

In the 2014-15 academic year, there are over 1,200 CUHK students participating in term-time and summer overseas exchanges.  The University also receives nearly 2,000 international students coming to CUHK on short-term exchange or a full-term of 4 years.  They are coming from over 40 countries and regions including Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Macau, Malaysia, Norway, Portugal, The Netherlands, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, UK, US and mainland China.

(Source: Communications and Public Relations Office, The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

Venerable Master Hsing Yun of the Foguang Shan and Professor Joseph Sung, Vice-Chancellor and President of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), signed an agreement of cooperation on 1 April 2015 at Foguang Shan in Taiwan to extend the partnership between the two parties for another five years. The donation from the Foguang Shan Foundation for Buddhist Culture and Education (the Foundation) will be used to support the development of the Centre for the Study of Humanistic Buddhism (the Centre) of CUHK. With the generous support from the Foundation since 2005, the Centre has been actively engaging in academic research and promoting the beauty of Humanistic Buddhism through a wide range of activities.

In his speech, Professor Sung expressed his gratitude to the Foundation for their generosity in support of the development of the Centre. “CUHK is committed to the promotion of Chinese culture and the exchanges between Eastern and Western cultures. The University has established many courses on Buddhist studies and published a number of academic books on Buddhism since its founding,” he added. After the signing of the third agreement of cooperation, the Centre will continue to facilitate academic and cultural exchange and development of Humanistic Buddhist studies in Hong Kong and overseas.

Professor Sung presented his calligraphy to Venerable Master Hsing Yun after the agreement signing ceremony, while Venerable Master Hsing Yun presented his publication on Buddhism to Professor Sung. “It is my great privilege to have all of you here today to witness the agreement signing ceremony. With the joint effort of the two parties, I strongly believe that more and more people will have the opportunity to understand the exquisiteness of Humanistic Buddhism,” said Venerable Master Hsing Yun.

BCT Company Limited (BCT) has generously made a pledge of HK$6 million in support of the “BCT Distinguished Research Fellowship Programme” of the Institute of Global Economics and Finance (IGEF) of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Officiated by Ms Lau Ka-shi, Managing Director & CEO of BCT Financial Limited, and Professor Joseph Sung, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK, a cheque presentation ceremony was held on 18 March 2015. The ceremony was attended by representatives from BCT, as well as faculty members of IGEF and other departments and units.

In his speech, Professor Sung expressed his heartfelt gratitude towards the generosity of BCT. “On the occasion of the 5th anniversary of IGEF, CUHK is grateful to receive a generous donation of HK$6 million from BCT to continue their support towards the works of BCT Distinguished Research Fellow Professor Liu Mingkang. On behalf of the Chinese University, I would like to thank BCT for putting their trust in us, and recognizing the efforts of IGEF,” said Professor Sung.

Ms Lau Ka-shi thanked CUHK for arranging the cheque presentation ceremony, and expressed her appreciation towards the achievements of IGEF. “Since its establishment in 2010, IGEF has been delivering excellent research output in Economics and Finance. It is our honor to support their works, and give back to the society by actively engaging in Corporate Social Responsibility projects and activities,” said Ms Lau in her speech. 

BCT is a long-standing supporter of CUHK. The Company made a donation to IGEF for the establishment of the “BCT Distinguished Research Fellowship Programme” in 2012. The University awarded this distinguished fellowship to Professor Liu Mingkang, which effectively enriched the output of the Institute despite its relatively short history. Professor Liu is a renowned expert in Economics and Finance. Apart from giving valuable advice towards the development directions of the Institute, he spoke at over 20 public talks and lectures in the past three years. He is also one of the lecturers of the Executive Leadership Programmes in Global Finance of IGEF. With the continued support from BCT, Professor Liu will take up the role as BCT Distinguished Research Fellow and continue his research works for another three years.

Since its establishment, IGEF is committed to contributing conceptual and policy ideas to the opening up of China’s financial system. The Institute also offers executive education programmes to enhance the knowledge and expertise of participants in new developments and ideas in global finance and banking.