President S. Joe Qin of Lingnan joins Hong Kong higher education institutions delegation on Beijing visit

Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science of Lingnan University, was a member of the delegation of Hong Kong higher education institutions in Beijing for three days from 8 to 10 May to visit the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and Technology. President Qin offered his insights into encouraging students' patriotism, aligning them with national development goals, and integrating the arts and sciences, in order to nurture a generation of young people who value our country and Hong Kong.

Led by Dr Choi Yuk-lin, Secretary for Education, the delegation visited the Ministry of Education on 9 May, where they were received by the Minister, Mr Huai Jinpeng. A symposium was held under the theme "Leveraging the strengths of Hong Kong higher education institutions to support the strategy of building a leading country in education". In his speech, President Qin thanked the Ministry of Education and the Hong Kong Education Bureau for organising the trip, and spoke about strengthening national and national security education, and promoting Chinese culture.

President Qin stressed Lingnan University's 136-year history of fostering talent and serving society through collaboration between Hong Kong and the Mainland, living up to its motto “Education for Service” with great perseverance and determination. He said “Lingnan's quality education ranks second globally in THE rankings, with an average class size of 21 students, leaving ample room for expansion. Over the past year, we have established the School of Interdisciplinary Studies (SIS), the School of Data Science (SDS), and the Lingnan University Institute for Advanced Study (LUIAS), complementing the existing Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Business, and Faculty of Social Sciences.”

President Qin emphasised Lingnan's commitment to whole-person education, which not only encourages students to pursue excellence with a global perspective, but also reinforces patriotism.

To deepen students' understanding of national security, Lingnan has added the Hong Kong National Security Law to its core curriculum, and organised a series of seminars and workshops on the subject. Additionally, in line with the Hong Kong SAR Government's support of patriotic education, Lingnan launched the LingArt Programme on the Promotion & Inheritance of Chinese Culture (LingArt Programme) to promote and showcase the rich cultural heritage of China and cultivate students' sense of national identity.

To facilitate academic exchanges with scholars worldwide, Lingnan has also set up the The Advanced Institute for Global Chinese Studies, which together with more than 10 renowned scholars in Hong Kong and overseas has produced bilingual videos titled "How to Read Chinese Poetry", telling compelling stories of China through poetry.

Lingnan formed Hong Kong's first Flag Guard Team in 2022. Its student members bear the solemn responsibility of raising the national flag on campus, and the team won the championship in the Tertiary Institution Category of the first National Flag-Raising Etiquette Competition for the Youth.

President Qin also shared that Lingnan University will host the Tsinghua Alumni Academia Club of North America (TAAC)’s academic frontier forum in Hong Kong this July, aiming to attract talent and opportunities to work with Hong Kong and the Mainland. By improving the teamwork between Hong Kong higher education institutions and the Mainland, Lingnan hopes to train more talent and prevent any shortfall. President Qin also explained that Lingnan University is planning a branch campus in the Greater Bay Area, which will highlight the importance of whole-person education in the post-artificial intelligence era.

President Qin and the delegation also visited the Changping Laboratory and the headquarters of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and discussed exchanges with Peking University. The delegation included representatives from the Education Bureau, the University Grants Committee (UGC), the Research Grants Council, and the Committee on Self-financing Post-secondary Education as well as the presidents or representatives of eight UGC-funded universities, 13 degree-awarding, self-financing post-secondary institutions, and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.