Over 5,500 alumni and their family and friends participated in the 2012 CUHK Alumni Homecoming on 2 December. On that day, the University announced the theme and logo of its 50th anniversary. The theme ‘Embrace our Culture, Empower our Future' means that members of the CUHK community should respect the achievements of scholars who have gone before them and at the same time focus their vision on the future. They need to refresh and revitalize in order to face the challenges posed by globalization.

The logo is inspired by the CUHK emblem which comprises the mythical Chinese bird—the phoenix or feng. In the logo, the crown of the feng stands for the numeral ‘5’ while its curved horn forms the numeral '0'. The colours of the University—purple and gold are adopted. The logo represents the combination of Chinese tradition and modernity.

On the same occasion, Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung, Vice-Chancellor of CUHK, made an announcement about a major anniversary activity—CU50‧Care. CUHK will lead its members to offer voluntary services via 50 service programmes in 2013. He urged them to undertake 50 hours of volunteer service and to join the CU50‧Care Service Team to share the fruit of the University's growth with the public.