In the News
Prof S. Joe Qin, President of Lingnan University, visited Beijing from 8 to 10 May as part of a delegation of Hong Kong higher education institutions. Led by Dr Choi Yuk-lin, Secretary for Education, they visited the State Council's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Science and Technology. At a symposium at the Ministry of Education with the theme “leveraging the strengths of Hong Kong higher education institutions to support the strategy of building a leading country in education”, President Qin offered insights into encouraging students' patriotism, aligning them with national development goals, and integrating the arts and sciences to foster a generation of young people who value China and Hong Kong.
Citing Lingnan’s excellence as global second in quality education in the THE rankings, he emphasised Lingnan's determination to strengthen national and national security education, and its commitment to whole-person education. Not only has Lingnan added the Hong Kong National Security Law to its core curriculum and launched the LingArt Programme to promote Chinese culture, it has also set up The Advanced Institute for Global Chinese Studies to facilitate academic exchanges with international scholars. President Qin also announced that the University will host the Tsinghua Alumni Academia Club of North America’s academic frontier forum this July, and establish a branch campus in the Greater Bay Area, which will highlight the importance of whole-person education in the post-Artificial Intelligence era.
The finals of the 2023/24 Territory-wide Junior Secondary Chinese History and Culture Quiz, organised by the Hong Kong Government Education Bureau (EDB) and the Hong Kong and South China Historical Research Programme (HKSCHRP) of Lingnan University, were held on campus on 18 May. Officiating guests were Ms Teresa Chan Mo-ngan, Deputy Secretary of the EDB, and Prof Lau Chi-pang, Associate Vice-President (Academic Affairs and External Relations) and Co-ordinator of the HKSCHRP. The competition covered a broad range of topics, from the origins of Chinese ethnicities and early states to the People's Republic of China. There were also sections on cultural relics and the intangible cultural heritage.
Over 16,000 participants from more than 120 secondary schools across Hong Kong participated, and the 12 teams that advanced to the finals had to compete fiercely against mixed-level secondary students from Form One to Form Three. Following a selection process with both compulsory answers and buzzers, four teams eventually advanced to the final round, and, after a tight race, Shun Tak Fraternal Association Tam Pak Yu College stood out, and took home the championship. Ying Wa College was runner-up, and St. Paul's College and Buddhist Tai Hung College were awarded third and fourth place, respectively. The inaugural competition organised by Lingnan University and the EDB aimed at enhancing students' interest and understanding of Chinese history and culture, as well as encouraging them to study independently while consolidating and extending their knowledge in order to develop a deeper appreciation of their heritage of Chinese history and culture.
To improve innovation and technology education, Lingnan University and Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of the Alibaba Group, recently announced a partnership and held a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony at Lingnan University. A milestone in their collaboration, the MoU was signed by Prof Leng Mingming, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Chair Professor of Operations and Risk Management of Lingnan University, and Mr Leo Liu, Vice-President of International Business and General Manager of North APAC Region at Alibaba Cloud.
Lingnan University and Alibaba Cloud will now embark on an active collaboration, working together to advance academic and technological frontiers, develop cloud-based educational tools for programmes, conduct joint research projects, and enhance the learning experience for students through the Alibaba Cloud Academic Empowerment Programme. This initiative will offer the Lingnan faculty and students unprecedented opportunities for cutting-edge technology and real-world business insights, thanks to increased cooperation between industry, academia, and research.