CUHK has launched the 50th Anniversary Fair which comprises a roving exhibition around town and a series of public lectures from March to November.

Following the successful launch at the Harbour City in March, the roving exhibition made its second stop at the Star Atrium, Plaza Hollywood, Diamond Hill. The exhibition was held from April 15-19. The exhibition has four key areas: ‘CUHK’s Background’, ‘Heritage’, ‘Humanities’ and ‘Innovations’. Historical collections such as the ‘Report of the Fulton Commission’ which recommended the establishment of CUHK in 1963, and the Degree/Diploma examination questions of CUHK in 1964; as well as interactive games and panels to illustrate the latest development of the University were also displayed.

The Faculty of Education has put together a series of public lectures to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of CUHK. The fourth lecture organized by the Department of Curriculum and Instruction will be held on May 4. Details are as follows:

Synopsis:

There are many types of extra-curricular activities for schools in Hong Kong. Other than the various inter-school and internal school competitions, there are still interest groups and music instrument classes, Olympic Mathematics classes as well as martial art classes organized by religious groups, voluntary and commercial organizations. In addition, in response to the trend of the demand in recent years to implement life-wide education and other learning experience activities, the situation is really mind-dazzling.

Some might say that these activities can facilitate the learning process of the students. However, some think that too many extra-curricular activities will affect student learning. But after all, “What is learning?” , “What are the expected outcomes of learning?”, “What is the true meaning of extra- curricular activities?”. The seminar will explore the above questions in different angles by analyzing the curriculum, learning, student growth and social actions.

Interested parties please click on the link next to the title for online registration.

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Joseph Sung will be joined by students from CUHK, Peking University, Stanford University, Oxford University and Xi’an Jiaotong University in building a footbridge for a village in Gansu Province. The bridge will be named “CUHK Golden Jubilee Wu Zhi Qiao”.

Villagers in Dangzheng Village, Gansu Province need to cross the river almost every day. Some of them are children going to schools and some need to go out of the village to buy daily necessities. The existing wooden bridge they are using would easily be washed away in rainy season and they will have to rebuild the wooden bridge after each rainy season. A safe and reliable bridge will greatly improve the livelihoods of the villagers.

Led by Prof. Edward Ng of the School of Architecture, CUHK, some bridge building teammates took part in two investigation trips in December 2012 and March 2013. The team comprised students from different universities, conducted a preliminary investigation of the site, then finalized the bridge design and prepared the necessary materials for the coming construction trip. The construction of the bridge will take place from April 28 to May 8.

Please click on the link next to the title for more details of the project.

Professor Niall Ferguson, Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History at Harvard University, visited CUHK last week as a Distinguished Visitor of Morningside College.

Professor Ferguson gave a public lecture titled "Degeneration and Regeneration after the Global Financial Crisis” chronicling the advancement of the West and its current steady decline following the great divergence. The celebrated historian and author of The Ascent of Money argued that the decline of advanced economies and the sudden rise in power of emerging markets, particularly in Asia, is due to the adoption of six basic institutions: political and economic competition, consumerism, rule of law, a strong work ethic, scientific advancement and finally the development of modern medicine.

Master of Morningside College, Professor Sir James Mirrlees, also hosted Professor Ferguson at an intimate Master’s Tea with Morningside students and at a Communal Dinner where Ferguson spoke to Fellows, guests and Morningside students on The West and the Rest. Professor Ferguson was Morningside College’s third Distinguished Visitor this year following visits from Professor James Belich of Oxford University and Professor Priyamvada Natarajan of Yale University.

The Department of Cultural and Religious Studies organized the “International Symposium on Culture and Music of China’s Cultural Revolution” on April 12-13. International scholars from different disciplines, including cultural studies, music, Chinese studies and Asian studies, discussed the sensory experience of the Cultural Revolution. Focusing on music and opera, and encompassing the inner and outer words of individuals and/or their collective affairs, this symposium is the first of its kind in analyzing the audio dimension of the Cultural Revolution.

More than 50 participants attended the symposium which was full of vigorous discussions and reflections.

For more information on the symposium, please click on the link next to the title.

The CU Staff Football Association has organized the “CUHK 50th Anniversary Soccer Tournament”.

Five teams from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Baptist University, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and The Hong Kong Institute of Education take part in the tournament. The matches are held at the Lingnan Stadium, CUHK every Sunday morning from April 7 to May 12. The winning team will be presented a trophy at the final on May 12.

The CU football team has over 140 team members, among them includes Dean of Science cum Chairman of CU Staff Football Association Prof. Henry Wong, Registrar & Secretary Mr. Eric Ng as well as Director of Estate Management Mr. Benny Tam.

The CU football team was given a head start on the first day of the tournament by winning a landslide victory of 6-0 over PolyU. The team will play against HKIEd this Sunday. Let’s wish the CU team every success in the upcoming matches!