On 11 March 2026，Hong Kong Chu Hai College (“the College”) today hosted its Year of the Horse Spring Media Luncheon. Chairman of the Board of Governors Mr. Lam Kwong Siu, GBS, SBS, and Board Member & President Ms. Jane Zhang led the College leadership in extending greetings to faculty members, students, alumni, and guests in attendance, reviewing the College’s achievements and announcing new development plans. The College is actively advancing its application for university status, with hopes of achieving this goal soon and contributing momentum to Hong Kong’s development as an international education hub.

President Zhang, in her New Year address, remarked that 2025 was a pivotal year that both built on past achievements and entered a new stage of development, with solid progress made in teaching quality, research development, and campus construction.

Academic Achievements and Curriculum Development

President Zhang noted that in August 2025, the College successfully passed the rigorous Periodic Institutional Review (PIR), which covered seven Programme Area Accreditations (PAAs) across the arts, sciences, engineering, and business. With strong execution capacity, the College was recognized for institutional effectiveness and planning, leadership and talent management, subject area development and governance, resource and service management, and institutional quality assurance and enhancement—laying a solid foundation for university status.

Curriculum development advanced steadily, with three new master’s programmes launched and now open for enrolment: MA in Cultural and Creative Studies, MA in Urban Development and Practice, and MA in Strategic Marketing Communications. The College also successfully revalidated the MSc in Civil Engineering (Infrastructure Construction and Management) and the Master of Arts in History and Culture of South China. The College now offers 19 master’s programmes, ranking among the leading self-financing institutions in Hong Kong in terms of postgraduate offerings.

Enhancing Research Strength and Supporting the “Study in Hong Kong” Initiative

President Zhang emphasised that the College closely follows social and technological trends, actively refining curricula while strengthening ties with industry and international universities. “The College actively responds to the HKSAR Government’s call to build the ‘Study in Hong Kong’ brand, striving to promote higher education, nurture talent, and contribute to Hong Kong’s role as an international education hub.”

The College is actively recruiting students locally, from Mainland China, and overseas. In expanding international collaboration, the College has signed MOUs with five Mainland universities and four overseas institutions, launching student exchange programmes to provide broader platforms for practice and cultural exchange.

In research, the College secured eight funded projects from the Research Grants Council (RGC) in 2025, with a record grant total exceeding HK$5 million. The Ng Teng Fong · Sino Group Belt and Road Research Institute (黃廷方·信和一帶一路研究院) successfully hosted “The International Conference on Rethinking International Relations in an Age of Uncertainty” (《不確定時代中重思國際關係》) attracting over 300 scholars from 44 countries, alongside forums on cross-border e-commerce and opportunities in the Arab market—demonstrating the College’s active role in international academic exchange.

Campus facilities also saw continuous enhancement. In 2025, generous support from the Tan Siu Lin Foundation enabled the establishment of the Dr Tan Siu Lin International Exchange Center (陳守仁博士國際交流廳), the Dr Henry Tan Harmony Haven (陳亨利博士共融花園), and Willie Tan Meeting Room (陳偉利會議室), strengthening the College’s long-term development.

Student Growth and Holistic Education

Student enrolment surpassed 2,100 for the first time, reflecting both scale and quality improvements. Admissions mechanisms were further optimized through diversified promotion channels, streamlined systems, and systematic interviews and verification procedures, thereby enhancing efficiency and transparency.

The College places strong emphasis on holistic education. In 2025, it organized 103 extracurricular activities attracting more than 5,000 student attendance, alongside exchange and cultural immersion programmes that broadened students’ international horizons and cross-cultural knowledge.

Four Strategic Priorities: Advancing Toward University Status

President Zhang emphasised that the College formally submitted its application for university status at the end of last year and is actively preparing implementation according to its established plan and timetable. “Achieving university status is a key milestone in the College’s development. It aims to enhance overall teaching and research quality and build a more comprehensive academic structure. We will continue to move forward steadily, fulfilling all requirements to realize this goal as soon as possible, injecting new momentum into Hong Kong’s higher education.”

To this end, the College has set out four strategic priorities:

● Steady advancement in academics and curriculum, optimizing subject structure. To improve student learning outcomes and career competitiveness, the College will review curriculum development in response to social needs, reorganize departments and programmes with foresight, and strengthen practicality and interdisciplinarity. This includes merging certain undergraduate programmes from the Department of Chinese Literature and the Department of Finance, introducing higher diploma programmes based on selected specialties, and enhancing the appeal of undergraduate offerings. The College will also continue to explore interdisciplinary directions such as artificial intelligence with applied finance and digital supply chain management.

● Strengthening quality assurance and risk compliance. Quality is the foundation of the institution. The College will shift from a “quality assurance” to a “quality enhancement” strategy, embedding a culture of excellence across all levels. In risk management and compliance, regular evaluations and spot checks will be conducted to identify potential risks and intervene promptly to prevent problems before they arise.

● Deepening industry-academia-research integration with BOCHK to form Applied Finance Platform. With generous support from Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited, the College established the “BOC (Hong Kong) School of Applied Finance (中銀香港應用金融學院).” This initiative not only strengthens the quality and applied practice of finance and banking programmes but also provides students with scholarships and internship opportunities across nine Asia-Pacific countries. Leveraging this platform, the College will pursue research collaboration and talent development in frontier areas such as wealth management, banking operations and smart finance, and blockchain, contributing to financial innovation in Hong Kong and building a distinctive brand in financial education.

● Fully embracing AI to empower the future of education. Artificial intelligence has been incorporated into the College’s development strategy. Plans are underway to apply AI across disciplines including business management, financial analysis, digital media, art technology, and engineering architecture. AI applications will also extend to administrative systems such as academic affairs, human resources, and finance, enhancing both educational quality and administrative efficiency through technology.

Ceremonial Lighting for Triumph

The First-Level Researcher of the Publicity and Education Department of the New Territories Sub-office of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr. Li Chengde; the Deputy Director of the Publicity and Education Department, New Territories Sub-office, Mr. Wong Chin-ho; the Chairman of the HKCHC Board of Governors, Mr. Lam Kwong Siu, GBS, SBS; Board of Governors members Prof. Tsui Lap-Chee, Dr. Lau Ching-Kwong, Dr. Poon Sun-Cheong, and Mr. Yim Kong; together with President Zhang, Vice President (Academic and Research) Prof. Hon Chan, and Associate Vice President (Academic and Research) Prof. Robert Li, officiated the ceremonial lighting and toast, wishing the College success in its bid to attain university title.

Mr. Lam Kwong Siu remarked, “Becoming a university is not merely a change in title — it marks the beginning of greater responsibility. Hong Kong Chu Hai College has a long history and a global network of alumni. With a solid foundation built over nearly 80 years, the College now stands at a new historical starting point. Under President Zhang’s leadership, the College will deepen collaboration with industry, focusing on applied research and talent development.”

Looking ahead, Hong Kong Chu Hai College will further strengthen its advantages in architecture, civil engineering, Chinese studies, and cultural creativity, nurturing more outstanding talents with international vision and professional skills for Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area, and making substantive contributions to sustainable social development.

At this festive New Year celebration, alumni representative Mr Chen Huayu shared his message from his alma mater. A subsequent performance was given by the College Secretary, Dr Wan Wai-yin, who led students in singing the school anthem. Ms Bao Wubihan, a student from the Chinese Literature Programme, then performed “The World Gives to Me” (《世界贈予我的》), a song conveying themes of cherishing the present and embracing the world. The finale featured Prof Fung Kam-wing, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, together with the Head of the Department of Chinese Literature, Prof Dung Chau-hung, in a rendition of the classic anthem “The Great Wall Will Never Fall” (《萬里長城永不倒》). Opening with the line “After a century of slumber, our people awaken,” the song encouraged faculty and students to strive diligently and pursue meaningful contributions.

The First-Level Researcher of the Publicity and Education Department of the New Territories Sub-office of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr. Li Chengde; the Deputy Director of the Publicity and Education Department, New Territories Sub-office, Mr. Wong Chin-ho; the Chairman of the HKCHC Board of Governors, Mr. Lam Kwong Siu, GBS, SBS; board members Prof Tsui Lap-Chee, Dr. Lau Ching-Kwong, Dr. Poon Sun-Cheong, and Mr. Yim Kong; together with President Zhang, Vice-President (Academic and Research) Prof. Hon Chan, and Associate Vice-President (Academic and Research) Prof. Robert Li, officiated the “Success Lighting Ritual” ceremony.

Representatives of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government (LOCPG), members of the College’s Board of Governors, and senior management raised their glasses to wish the College success in its bid for university status.  

College Secretary Dr. Wan Wai Yin led the students in singing the school anthem.

Ms. Bao Wubihan, a student of the Chinese Literature Programme, performed “The World Gives to Me” (《世界贈予我的》).

The Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Prof. Fung Kam-wing, and the Head of the Department of Chinese Literature, Prof. Dung Chau-hung, presented a rendition of the classic anthem “The Great Wall Will Never Fall” (《萬里長城永不倒》).