Earlier this century, CUHK had the foresight to envision a campus in the mainland, even before the announcement of the national strategic outline for GBA development by the Central Government. The establishment of CUHK-Shenzhen in 2014 is testament to our longstanding commitment to building capacity in the region and our determination to contribute meaningfully to the nation’s development.

As the Chairman of the Governing Board of CUHK-Shenzhen, I have witnessed the University make amazing strides over the years. It is remarkable to think that, from a humble beginning as a campus built on disused factories and barren land just ten years ago, today CUHK-Shenzhen commands the highest Gaokao cutoff for undergraduate admissions in Guangdong Province and is consistently ranked number one in the nation in the Shanghai Ranking’s league table examining “Sino-foreign” collaborative universities. During my tenure as Chairman of the Governing Board, I have also witnessed the establishment of the University’s School of Medicine and the School of Music, which will further diversify academic offerings and present a unique educational ecosystem to Shenzhen and the GBA.

I would like to extend my gratitude to Professor Xu Yangsheng, President of CUHK-Shenzhen, for his wise leadership, a key underpinning factor of the University’s success over the past decade. A special tribute should also go to my predecessor Professor Lawrence Lau, for his strategic vision that paved the way for CUHK to take the momentous leap that has contributed so meaningfully to higher education in the GBA. I look forward to seeing CUHK-Shenzhen ascend new heights as a key member of the CUHK family.

Dialogue with Ven Kuan Yun

I was pleased to take part in a thought-provoking dialogue with Ven Kuan Yun, the President of The Hong Kong Buddhist Association, on campus last week. The unique event brought together diverse and interesting perspectives on the intersection between Buddhism and biomedicine. It was a special event for many reasons. While interdisciplinarity is a common buzz word on university campuses, it is not often that spiritual and academic communities come together to consider the profound questions about the fascinating nexus between the scientific and religious realms. There is much that the Buddhist and biomedical research communities can learn from one another. The dialogue gave us an opportunity to think critically about the contrast between Buddhism as a traditional religion and biomedicine as a field of cutting-edge technology and the ethical dilemmas we face while enjoying the benefits of scientific progress. This type of interdisciplinary dialogue that examines the nexus between the spiritual and scientific worlds is exactly the elements of rich cultural and intellectual tapestry that we hope to forge at CUHK. Data and information alone are insufficient; knowledge and wisdom sourced from spiritual, experiential, and scientific interactions are critical for civilisation. I would like to express my deep gratitude to Ven Kuan Yun for opening new vistas to our consciousness and the audience for their great support of the event and creating an enriching atmosphere for intellectual engagement.