Chinese University of Hong Kong
Encyclopedia
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Abbreviation
: CUHK or Chinese University) is a research-led university in Hong Kong
.
CUHK is the only tertiary education institution in Hong Kong with Nobel Prize
winners on its faculty, including Chen Ning Yang, James Mirrlees
, Robert Alexander Mundell
and Charles K. Kao
(winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics). Other eminent thinkers at the university include mathematician Shing-Tung Yau
, holder of the prestigious Fields Medal
and Veblen Prize, and computational theorist Andrew Yao
, winner of the Turing Award
.
CUHK is the only university in Hong Kong that has produced winner of prizes equivalent to Nobel prize, i.e., Prof. Shing-Tung Yau
, holder of the Fields Medal
.
CUHK is a trilingual campus; its languages of instruction are English
, Cantonese
, and Mandarin
. The school is also home to the Yale-China Chinese Language Center.
The university has 61 academic departments organized under eight faculties: arts, business administration, education, engineering, social science, medicine, science, and law. Within these 61 departments are 117 undergraduate programs and 247 postgraduate programs.
In 2011, QS World University Rankings
placed CUHK at 37th in the world
, making it 2nd in Hong Kong
and 5th in Asia
but the QS Asian University rankings department which releases an independent list each year ranked the CUHK at 3rd in Hong Kong and 5th in Aisa. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings
gave this university a position of 151th in the world, making it 15th in Asia and 3rd in Hong Kong.
The university was ranked 42nd worldwide in the World's Best University: Top 200 by U.S. News & World Report
. All these are just the overall results and rankings of different subjects or faculties are likely to be different from the overall rankings.
, it comprises seven colleges that differ in character and history, each retaining substantial autonomy on institutional affairs: Chung Chi College
, New Asia College
, United College, Shaw College
, Morningside College
, S. H. Ho College, and Lee Woo Sing College
. All undergraduates are affiliated to one of them. Currently, two new colleges are to be established in the near future; namely Wu Yee Sun College
and C. W. Chu College.
Colleges are communities with their own hostels, dining halls and other facilities. Students receive pastoral care and whole-person education, including formal and non-formal general education by means through close interaction with teachers and peers. Colleges promote extracurricular activities.
The university's School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCS) was established in 1965 under the name of the Department of Extramural Studies. In January 2006, the school was renamed the School of Continuing and Professional Studies.
CUHK also houses the Chinese University of Hong Kong Art Museum, which houses "a wide range of artifacts illuminating the rich arts, humanities and cultural heritage of ancient and pre-modern China." In 2010, The Chinese University of Hong Kong was chosen to be a part of the BBNM Group for its excellence in co-operation projects with the corporate world in Hong Kong. Today, they are represented among the BBNM Member schools.
Each faculty runs undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
and the Yale-China Association
. The center became part of Chinese University in 1974 and has been responsible for the teaching of one language education (Putonghua and Cantonese
) of university students as well as other Putonghua and Cantonese learners. Courses are offered for non-native speakers and for native speakers of Chinese.
University programs are divided into Putonghua courses for local students, Cantonese courses for mainland Chinese Students and Putonghua and Cantonese courses for international exchange students
Programs are provided to public, with Putonghua/Cantonese courses for non-native speakers (Chinese as a foreign language
/second language, CFL), and Putonghua/Cantonese courses for native Chinese speakers.
. Buses and trains stop by Chung Chi College.
See Maps of the Shatin main campus: Campus Maps
A student meeting was convened, and student union President Eric Lai told 2,000 attendees that the University officials should apologise for their opposition of the art display. On 4 June, bowing to public outcry and student pressure, the University relented, and allowed the statue on campus.
Vice-chancellor designate Joseph Sung
, who was consulted on the vote in absentia, admitted that it was the biggest political storm in 21 years. He revealed that, in addition to preserving political neutrality, safety and security concerns were factors in the decision. He also drew a distinction between this application - for a permanent University installation - and hypothetical applications for short-term expressions of free speech, suggesting the latter would have been more likely to be approved, but he criticised the management team as "immature" and "inexperienced" in handling the incident.
An editorial in The Standard
criticised the committee's naivety in not anticipating the reaction. It was also highly critical of Sung for seeking to distance himself from the decision with such a "lame excuse". Outgoing Vice-chancellor Lawrence Lau defended the committee's decision as "collective and unanimous" after "detailed consideration," citing the unanimous vote of the administrative and planning committee, and he disagreed with Sung's characterization of the management team. While the vote was unanimous, however, Sung stated that he had suggested the wording of the decision include the qualification that the committee "had not reached a consensus."
The student union said the two professors should have communicated to reach a consensus, and that Lau's reply "failed to explain why the school used political neutrality as a reason to reject the statue."
Abbreviation
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...
: CUHK or Chinese University) is a research-led university in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
CUHK is the only tertiary education institution in Hong Kong with Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
winners on its faculty, including Chen Ning Yang, James Mirrlees
James Mirrlees
Sir James Alexander Mirrlees is a Scottish economist and winner of the 1996 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. He was knighted in 1998....
, Robert Alexander Mundell
Robert Mundell
Robert Mundell, CC is a Nobel Prize-winning Canadian economist. Currently, Mundell is a professor of economics at Columbia University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong....
and Charles K. Kao
Charles K. Kao
The Honorable Sir Charles Kuen Kao, GBM, KBE, FRS, FREng is a pioneer in the development and use of fiber optics in telecommunications...
(winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics). Other eminent thinkers at the university include mathematician Shing-Tung Yau
Shing-Tung Yau
Shing-Tung Yau is a Chinese American mathematician working in differential geometry. He was born in Shantou, Guangdong Province, China into a family of scholars from Jiaoling, Guangdong Province....
, holder of the prestigious Fields Medal
Fields Medal
The Fields Medal, officially known as International Medal for Outstanding Discoveries in Mathematics, is a prize awarded to two, three, or four mathematicians not over 40 years of age at each International Congress of the International Mathematical Union , a meeting that takes place every four...
and Veblen Prize, and computational theorist Andrew Yao
Andrew Yao
Andrew Chi-Chih Yao is a prominent computer scientist and computational theorist. Yao used the minimax theorem to prove what is now known as Yao's Principle.Yao was born in Shanghai, China...
, winner of the Turing Award
Turing Award
The Turing Award, in full The ACM A.M. Turing Award, is an annual award given by the Association for Computing Machinery to "an individual selected for contributions of a technical nature made to the computing community. The contributions should be of lasting and major technical importance to the...
.
CUHK is the only university in Hong Kong that has produced winner of prizes equivalent to Nobel prize, i.e., Prof. Shing-Tung Yau
Shing-Tung Yau
Shing-Tung Yau is a Chinese American mathematician working in differential geometry. He was born in Shantou, Guangdong Province, China into a family of scholars from Jiaoling, Guangdong Province....
, holder of the Fields Medal
Fields Medal
The Fields Medal, officially known as International Medal for Outstanding Discoveries in Mathematics, is a prize awarded to two, three, or four mathematicians not over 40 years of age at each International Congress of the International Mathematical Union , a meeting that takes place every four...
.
CUHK is a trilingual campus; its languages of instruction are English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Cantonese
Standard Cantonese
Cantonese, or Standard Cantonese, is a language that originated in the vicinity of Canton in southern China, and is often regarded as the prestige dialect of Yue Chinese....
, and Mandarin
Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
. The school is also home to the Yale-China Chinese Language Center.
The university has 61 academic departments organized under eight faculties: arts, business administration, education, engineering, social science, medicine, science, and law. Within these 61 departments are 117 undergraduate programs and 247 postgraduate programs.
Rankings
There are various university rankings organized by different institutes and the CUHK scores different positions in them.In 2011, QS World University Rankings
QS World University Rankings
The QS World University Rankings is a ranking of the world’s top 500 universities by Quacquarelli Symonds using a method that has published annually since 2004....
placed CUHK at 37th in the world
World
World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth....
, making it 2nd in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and 5th in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
but the QS Asian University rankings department which releases an independent list each year ranked the CUHK at 3rd in Hong Kong and 5th in Aisa. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings is an international ranking of universities published by the British magazine Times Higher Education in partnership with Thomson Reuters, which provided citation database information...
gave this university a position of 151th in the world, making it 15th in Asia and 3rd in Hong Kong.
The university was ranked 42nd worldwide in the World's Best University: Top 200 by U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
. All these are just the overall results and rankings of different subjects or faculties are likely to be different from the overall rankings.
Tradition and history
The university's founders hoped that it would become the bridge that connects China and the West, and to combine tradition with modernity.Collegiate system
As a collegiate universityCollegiate university
A collegiate university is a university in which governing authority and functions are divided between a central administration and a number of constituent colleges...
, it comprises seven colleges that differ in character and history, each retaining substantial autonomy on institutional affairs: Chung Chi College
Chung Chi College
The Chung Chi College is one of the constituent colleges of The Chinese University of Hong Kong , and one of the three original colleges that joined to form the CUHK in 1963...
, New Asia College
New Asia College
The New Asia College is now one of the constituent colleges of the Chinese University of Hong Kong .- History :New Asia College has its origin in the Asia Evening College of Arts and Commerce established in September 1949 by Ch'ien Mu and several other scholars from mainland China...
, United College, Shaw College
Shaw College
The Shaw College is the fourth college of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. It is named after its patron, Sir Run Run Shaw who donated five hundred million Hong Kong dollars for the establishment of the college...
, Morningside College
Morningside College (Hong Kong)
Morningside College is one of the colleges of the Chinese University of Hong Kong established in 2006. Morningside College is the smallest residential college of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, accommodating around 300 students at equilibrium. In September 2010, Morningside College admitted...
, S. H. Ho College, and Lee Woo Sing College
Lee Woo Sing College
Lee Woo Sing College is one of the new colleges of The Chinese University of Hong Kong admitting its first class of students in 2011. The naming of the college is made possible by a HK$150 million donation and is named after entrepreneur Lee Woo Sing...
. All undergraduates are affiliated to one of them. Currently, two new colleges are to be established in the near future; namely Wu Yee Sun College
Wu Yee Sun College
Wu Yee Sun College is one of the five new colleges of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. It will admit its first class of students in 2012.-College Motto and Mission:The College motto is 'Scholarship and Perseverance'...
and C. W. Chu College.
Colleges are communities with their own hostels, dining halls and other facilities. Students receive pastoral care and whole-person education, including formal and non-formal general education by means through close interaction with teachers and peers. Colleges promote extracurricular activities.
History
- 1957, New Asia College, Chung Chi College, and United College established the Hong Kong Chinese Higher Education Association, same year, the colleges received government funding and academic status.
- 1959, New Asia College, Chung Chi College, and United College became government funded institutions of higher education.
- 1963, New Asia College, Chung Chi College, and United College combined to become The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
- 1965, School of Education established.
- 1976, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Ordinance enacted, CUHK was established as a collegiate university.
- 1977, School of Medicine established.
- 1986, Shaw College established.
- 1991, School of Engineering established.
- 2004, School of Law established.
- 2006, the establishment of two new colleges, Morningside College and S. H. Ho College, was announced.
- 2007, three colleges, C. W. Chu College, Wu Yee Sun College and Lee Woo Sing College, were announced.
Funding
In 2005, The Chinese University of Hong Kong's budget was HK$4,558 million, with government subventions of about HK$2,830 million. In the 2008-09 fiscal year (starts April 1), total income was down to $4,413 million while government subvention had risen to $2,916 million.The university's School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCS) was established in 1965 under the name of the Department of Extramural Studies. In January 2006, the school was renamed the School of Continuing and Professional Studies.
Libraries and museum
The university library system houses the Hong Kong Studies Archive, Hong Kong Literature Collection, Chinese Overseas Collection, Nobel Laureate GAO, Xingjian Collection, Nobel Laureate CY Yang Archive, American Studies Resource Collection and Modern Chinese Drama Collection.CUHK also houses the Chinese University of Hong Kong Art Museum, which houses "a wide range of artifacts illuminating the rich arts, humanities and cultural heritage of ancient and pre-modern China." In 2010, The Chinese University of Hong Kong was chosen to be a part of the BBNM Group for its excellence in co-operation projects with the corporate world in Hong Kong. Today, they are represented among the BBNM Member schools.
Faculties
There are eight faculties at CUHK:|
|
Each faculty runs undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
Yale-China Chinese Language Center
The Yale-China Chinese Language Center (CLC), formerly New Asia - Yale-in-China Chinese Language Center, was founded in 1963 under the joint auspices of New Asia CollegeNew Asia College
The New Asia College is now one of the constituent colleges of the Chinese University of Hong Kong .- History :New Asia College has its origin in the Asia Evening College of Arts and Commerce established in September 1949 by Ch'ien Mu and several other scholars from mainland China...
and the Yale-China Association
Yale-China Association
The Yale-China Association , founded in 1901, is a private, nonprofit organization with more than a century of experience contributing to the development of education in and about China and to the furtherance of understanding and knowledge between Chinese and American people...
. The center became part of Chinese University in 1974 and has been responsible for the teaching of one language education (Putonghua and Cantonese
Standard Cantonese
Cantonese, or Standard Cantonese, is a language that originated in the vicinity of Canton in southern China, and is often regarded as the prestige dialect of Yue Chinese....
) of university students as well as other Putonghua and Cantonese learners. Courses are offered for non-native speakers and for native speakers of Chinese.
University programs are divided into Putonghua courses for local students, Cantonese courses for mainland Chinese Students and Putonghua and Cantonese courses for international exchange students
Programs are provided to public, with Putonghua/Cantonese courses for non-native speakers (Chinese as a foreign language
Chinese as a foreign language
Chinese as a foreign or second language is the study of the Chinese languages by non-native speakers. Increased interest in China from those outside has led to a corresponding interest in the study of Standard Chinese as a foreign language, the official languages of mainland China and Taiwan....
/second language, CFL), and Putonghua/Cantonese courses for native Chinese speakers.
Transportation
Although the campus is located away from the busier districts in Hong Kong, access to campus is easy. The university connects with the other districts of the city via the Mass Transit Railway and the Hong Kong bus systemBuses in Hong Kong
Bus services in Hong Kong have a long history. As of 2005, five companies operate franchised public bus services. There are also a variety of non-franchised public buses services, including feeder bus services to railway stations operated by MTR, and residents' services for residential estates...
. Buses and trains stop by Chung Chi College.
See Maps of the Shatin main campus: Campus Maps
Goddess of Democracy
On 29 May 2010, when the CUHK student union sought to permanently locate a 'Goddess of Democracy' statue on campus, the administrative and planning committee of the University convened an emergency meeting for 1 June, chaired by incumbent Vice-chancellor Lawrence Lau, to consider the request. The application was turned down; the reason provided was the need for the University to maintain political neutrality. Staff and students objected to the refusal, however, accusing the committee of self-censorship; students declared they were prepared for a stand-off against the University, saying they would ensure the statues were accommodated on campus "at all costs".A student meeting was convened, and student union President Eric Lai told 2,000 attendees that the University officials should apologise for their opposition of the art display. On 4 June, bowing to public outcry and student pressure, the University relented, and allowed the statue on campus.
Vice-chancellor designate Joseph Sung
Joseph Sung
Professor Joseph Jao-yiu Sung, SBS is the Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong ,. He was the Associate Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, the Chair Professor of the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Head of the Shaw...
, who was consulted on the vote in absentia, admitted that it was the biggest political storm in 21 years. He revealed that, in addition to preserving political neutrality, safety and security concerns were factors in the decision. He also drew a distinction between this application - for a permanent University installation - and hypothetical applications for short-term expressions of free speech, suggesting the latter would have been more likely to be approved, but he criticised the management team as "immature" and "inexperienced" in handling the incident.
An editorial in The Standard
The Standard
The Standard is an English free newspaper of Hong Kong with a daily circulation of 231,018. It was called the Hong Kong Standard and changed to HKiMail during the Internet boom, but it changed back to The Standard in 2001....
criticised the committee's naivety in not anticipating the reaction. It was also highly critical of Sung for seeking to distance himself from the decision with such a "lame excuse". Outgoing Vice-chancellor Lawrence Lau defended the committee's decision as "collective and unanimous" after "detailed consideration," citing the unanimous vote of the administrative and planning committee, and he disagreed with Sung's characterization of the management team. While the vote was unanimous, however, Sung stated that he had suggested the wording of the decision include the qualification that the committee "had not reached a consensus."
The student union said the two professors should have communicated to reach a consensus, and that Lau's reply "failed to explain why the school used political neutrality as a reason to reject the statue."
Vice-chancellors (Presidents)
- (1963-1978) Professor Choh-Ming LiChoh-Ming LiLi Choh-ming, KBE, JP was an economist and an educator. He was the founding Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1963. He compiled The Li Chinese Dictionary .Career=...
(李卓敏教授) - (1978-1987) Professor Ma LinMa Lin (educator)Professor Ma Lin, CBE, JP is a biochemist and educator. He was the Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong from 1978 to 1987...
(馬臨教授) - (1987-1996) Professor Sir Charles K. KaoCharles K. KaoThe Honorable Sir Charles Kuen Kao, GBM, KBE, FRS, FREng is a pioneer in the development and use of fiber optics in telecommunications...
(高錕教授), Laureate of the Nobel Prize in PhysicsNobel Prize in PhysicsThe Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901; the others are the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and...
2009 - (1996-2002) Professor Arthur LiArthur LiArthur Li Kwok-cheung GBS JP was a member of the Executive Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Secretary for Education and Manpower from August 2002 to June 2007....
(李國章教授) - (2002-2004) Professor Ambrose KingAmbrose KingAmbrose King Yeo-chi, SBS, JP is a Hong Kong sociologist, educator, writer and academician. He was formerly vice-chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong .-Personal life:...
(金耀基教授) - (2004-2010) Professor Lawrence J. LauLawrence J. LauProfessor Lawrence J. Lau , JP is a Hong Kong economist and the former Vice-Chancellor of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is also the non-official member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong from 2009. Before coming to the CUHK he was an economics professor at Stanford...
(劉遵義教授) - (2010–Present) Professor Joseph Jao-yiu Sung (沈祖堯教授)
Focused areas of research
CUHK has adopted in its Strategic Plan 2006 the strategy of focusing its research investments in five fields of academic enquiry:- Chinese Studies
- Biomedical Sciences
- Information Sciences
- Economics and Finance
- Geoinformation and Earth Sciences
See also
- Education in Hong KongEducation in Hong KongEducation in Hong Kong has a similar system to that of the United Kingdom, in particular the English education system of Hong Kong was modernised by the British in 1861. The system is often described as extremely competitive by global standards....
- List of universities in Hong Kong
- List of buildings and structures in Hong Kong
- Sister school from Taiwan:Taipei Medical UniversityTaipei Medical UniversityTaipei Medical University was founded as Taipei Medical College in 1960. It was renamed as Taipei Medical University in 2000. Its campus is in Wuxing Street, Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan...
- CUSISCusisCUSIS refers to the Chinese University Student Information System. It is to provide information to CUHK stakeholders, staff and students about Project CUSIS and to support ongoing communications between stakeholders and the CUSIS project team....
- Veriguide