Media Releases

PolyU develops the first self-adaptive platform for tourism demand forecasts across the Greater Bay Area

Total international visitor arrivals to the Greater Bay Area (GBA) are forecasted to recover to the pre-pandemic level at close to 130 million by the end of 2024, and the total number of inbound visitor arrivals to Hong Kong to recover to the 2018 level of 65 million by 2025. These are some of the findings released by the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) today at the launch of a new forecasting platform under the project entitled “The Development of an Automated and Self-Adaptive Tourism Demand Forecasting Platform for the Greater Bay Area (GBA-TDFP).” Led by Prof. Haiyan SONG, Principal Investigator and SHTM Associate Dean, Chair Professor and Mr and Mrs Chan Chak Fu Professor in International Tourism, the project adopts an interdisciplinary approach to integrate well-established theories in economics, tourism management and computer science to develop GBA-TDFP. It features key functions that include big data visualisation, market sensitivity analysis, short-, medium- and long-term forecasting, sentiment analysis, and interactive scenario forecasting, and will serve as a valuable tool for industry professionals, policy makers and academics to adapt and generate forecasts of visitor arrivals to the GBA in different economic scenarios. Tourism is considered a key industry in the GBA, with its sights set on becoming a world-leading destination by 2035. While the economy has now largely recovered from the shocks caused by travel restrictions and public health measures taken during the pandemic, there are still challenges to overcome, including labour shortage, supply constraints, changing economic conditions, and shifts in consumer behaviour. “It all points to the fact that in order to sustain ongoing recovery,” Prof. Song remarked, “accurate forecasts of tourism demand recovery are crucial for policy makers and practitioners to be able to develop sustainable tourism strategies that foster long-term economic growth in the region.” To facilitate accurate forecasting, the project has collected macroeconomic data such as GDPs, CPIs and exchange rates of the GBA cities and their key source markets from statistical departments and international organisations such as the International Monetary Fund. For short-term tourism demand forecasting, the project has leveraged big data collected from popular online and social media platforms such as Google, Ctrip and Baidu. Analysis reveals that: According to the short-term forecasting results, it is expected that there will be a significant rebound in inbound visitor arrivals to Hong Kong and Macao, by the end of 2024. Mainland Chinese cities within the GBA are projected to experience a substantial recovery in domestic visitor arrivals and visitor flows within the GBA, by the end of 2024. These projections suggest that the volume of visitors will reach levels comparable to those observed before the pandemic. The five-year-ahead long-term tourism demand forecasting results indicate that the total number of domestic and inbound visitor arrivals into the GBA, as well as visitor flows within the GBA, will return to the pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2024. By 2027, the GBA as a whole is expected to witness over 335 million domestic visitor arrivals, along with 195 million inbound visitor arrivals. Visitor flows within the GBA are projected to reach 200 million. In the GBA, visitor reviews overwhelmingly lean towards the positive side for all destinations. These encouraging reviews not only validate the robust recovery of the tourism industry in all GBA destinations but also signify the immense potential for further growth in the GBA tourism market. Meanwhile, moderate and negative reviews still point out critical areas for the destinations to further improve, including service quality and border control. Across all destinations, the monthly average satisfaction levels of visitors, as reflected by sentiment scores extracted from their reviews, are consistently positive. However, there are fluctuations in daily satisfaction levels, indicating that experiences may vary from day to day. There are also noticeable discrepancies in satisfaction levels across different tourism activities. Forecasting results for the GBA generated by the platform.   The GBA-TDFP serves to simplify the process for policy makers and industry leaders to conduct “what-if” scenario analyses on tourism demand forecasts. Users can input hypothetical values for determinant variables (such as GDP and price levels) through web browsers, which are then incorporated into the estimated econometric models to generate scenario forecasts. This functionality is deemed particularly valuable for policy evaluation and decision-making purposes. With advances in technology, destinations and visitors are increasingly dependent on information and communications technologies. By integrating cloud computing, big data and artificial intelligence techniques with advanced forecasting methods, the GBA-TDFP offers innovative insights and valuable guidance for both industry professionals and academics, effectively transforming vast amounts of data into actionable information, enabling stakeholders to make informed decisions and maximise the value derived from it. Prof. Kaye CHON, SHTM Dean, Chair Professor and Walter and Wendy Kwok Family Foundation Professor in International Hospitality Management, said, “This is another contribution that our School has made to the tourism industry. We are committed to bringing the results of cutting-edge research to business practice, thereby addressing the global challenges that the tourism industry faces.” About PolyU School of Hotel and Tourism Management For 45 years, the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University has refined a distinctive vision of hospitality and tourism education and become a world-leading hotel and tourism school. Ranked No. 1 in the world in the “Hospitality and Tourism Management” category in ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2023 for the seventh consecutive year; placed No. 1 globally in the “Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services” category in the University Ranking by Academic Performance in 2022/2023 for six years in a row; rated No. 1 in the world in the “Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism” subject area by the CWUR Rankings by Subject 2017; and ranked No. 2 in the world among university based programmes in the “Hospitality and Leisure Management” subject area in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023 for the seventh consecutive year, the SHTM is a symbol of excellence in the field, exemplifying its motto of Leading Hospitality and Tourism. The School is driven by the need to serve its industry and academic communities through the advancement of education and dissemination of knowledge. With a strong international team of 90 faculty members from 20 countries and regions around the world, the SHTM offers programmes at levels ranging from undergraduate to doctoral degrees. Through Hotel ICON, the School’s groundbreaking teaching and research hotel and a vital aspect of its paradigm-shifting approach to hospitality and tourism education, the SHTM is advancing teaching, learning and research, and inspiring a new generation of passionate, pioneering professionals to take their positions as leaders in the hospitality and tourism industry. Website: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/shtm/   ***END***

PolyU develops high-efficiency carbon dioxide electroreduction system for reducing carbon footprint and progressing carbon neutrality goals

Global warming continues to pose a threat to human society and the ecological systems, and carbon dioxide accounts for the largest proportion of the greenhouse gases that dominate climate warming. To combat climate change and move towards the goal of carbon neutrality, researchers from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have developed a durable, highly selective and energy-efficient carbon dioxide (CO2) electroreduction system that can convert CO2 into ethylene for industrial purposes to provide an effective solution for reducing CO2 emissions. This research was recently published in Nature Energy and won a Gold Medal at the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva in Switzerland. Ethylene (C2H4) is one of the most in-demand chemicals globally and is mainly used in the manufacture of polymers such as polyethylene, which, in turn, can be used to make plastics and chemical fibres commonly used in daily life. However, it is still mostly obtained from petrochemical sources and the production process involves the creation of a very significant carbon footprint. Led by Prof. Daniel LAU, Chair Professor of Nanomaterials and Head of the Department of Applied Physics, the research team adopted the method of electrocatalytic CO2 reduction - using green electricity to convert carbon dioxide into ethylene, providing a more environmentally friendly alternative and stable ethylene production. The research team is working to promote this emerging technology to bring it closer to mass production, closing the carbon loop and ultimately achieving carbon neutrality. Prof. Lau’s innovation is to dispense with the alkali-metal electrolyte and use pure water as a metal-free anolyte to prevent carbonate formation and salt deposition. The research team denotes their design the APMA system, where A stands for anion-exchange membrane (AEM), P represents the proton-exchange membrane (PEM), and MA indicates the resulting membrane assembly. When an alkali-metal-free cell stack containing the APMA and a copper electrocatalyst was constructed, it produced ethylene with a high specificity of 50%. It was also able to operate for over 1,000 hours at an industrial-level current of 10A – a very significant increase in lifespan over existing systems, meaning the system can be easily expanded to an industrial scale. Further tests showed that the formation of carbonates and salts was suppressed, while there was no loss of CO2 or electrolyte. This is crucial, as previous cells using bipolar membranes instead of APMA suffered from electrolyte loss due to the diffusion of alkali-metal ions from the anolyte. The formation of hydrogen in competition with ethylene, another problem affecting earlier systems that used acidic cathode environments, was also minimised. Another key feature of the process is the specialised electrocatalyst. Copper is used to catalyse a wide range of reactions across the chemical industry. However, the specific catalyst used by the research team took advantage of some distinctive features. The millions of nano-scale copper spheres had richly textured surfaces, with steps, stacking faults and grain boundaries. These “defects” – relative to an ideal metal structure – provided a favourable environment for the reaction to proceed. Prof. Lau said, “We will work on further improvements to enhance the product selectivity and seek for collaboration opportunities with the industry. It is clear that this APMA cell design underpins a transition to green production of ethylene and other valuable chemicals and can contribute to reducing carbon emissions and achieving the goal of carbon neutrality.” This innovative PolyU project was a collaboration with researchers from the University of Oxford, the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Centre of Taiwan and Jiangsu University.   ***END***

PolyU Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences sign MoU to establish first collaboration with a Mongolian tertiary institution

The Department of Rehabilitation Sciences of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the Department of Physical and Occupational Therapy of the School of Nursing of the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences (MNUMS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 15 January 2024, to strengthen the collaboration of both parties and signify an important step forward in contributing to the Nation’s Belt and Road Initiative. Prof. Kwok-yin WONG, Vice President (Education) of PolyU said in his welcome speech, “We are pleased to announce that the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences is the first tertiary institution in Mongolia to collaborate with PolyU. We extend our sincere gratitude to the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences for their efforts in forging connections between the University and Mongolia.” PolyU initiated exchanges with MNUMS last April. Subsequently, the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences sent a delegation comprising 16 faculty members and students to participate in the inaugural Mongolian International Conference on Occupational Therapy last June. The MoU signifies formal collaboration between the two institutions, enhancing international academic collaboration and exchanges. It will also provide valuable opportunities for faculty members and students from PolyU Department of Rehabilitation Sciences to broaden their horizons and gain greater international exposure. Backed by its 45-year history in rehabilitation sciences, the Department has shared its knowledge and extensive experience in rehabilitation with their Mongolian counterparts, benefiting the local community and its people. The initial project under this collaboration involves establishing the first Assistive Technology Rehabilitation and Education Centre at MNUMS. Prof. Hector TSANG, Chair Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences, Head of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, and Interim Director of the PolyU Mental Health Research Centre said, “The Assistive Technology Rehabilitation and Education Centre will be Mongolia’s first advanced assistive technology training centre, equipped with a range of advanced equipment, including 3D scanning and printing equipment for rehabilitation, and eye-tracking systems for augmentative and alternative communication. It will play a critical role in advancing training of local rehabilitation professionals and in empowering people with disabilities to be self-reliant. Our team of experts will spare no effort in sharing their expertise and work closely with rehabilitation therapists in Mongolia.” This partnership has paved the way for student exchanges and research collaborations with other Belt and Road countries and regions. PolyU is confident in expanding and deepening its cooperation with MNUMS in the future and looks forward to establishing closer ties with other universities in the region.   ***END***

PolyU’s cutting-edge technologies enrich colours on over 100 million high-end smart devices worldwide

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has recently developed a series of colour management technologies that enable digital displays and imaging devices, such as light-emitting diode (LED) and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) lighting systems, smartphones, cameras, as well as extended reality (XR, covering virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR)) headsets, to capture and reproduce colours more faithfully, thereby enhancing the user experience. These cutting-edge technologies have been successfully commercialised and widely adopted by social media, imaging systems and manufacturers of LED lighting products, smartphones and drones. Over 100 million high-end smart devices worldwide each year have been powered by the technologies. New technologies like OLED and Quantum-dot LED (QLED) have much narrower spectral compositions, making cameras and displays more and more difficult to capture and produce consistent colour appearance. This has presented unprecedented challenges in colour management for digital devices. Prof. Tommy Minchen WEI, Professor of the Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering and Director of the Colour Imaging and Metaverse Research Centre at PolyU, along with his research team, has developed the following colour management technologies: A six-channel RGBACL (Red, Green, Blue, Amber, Cyan and Lime) lighting module and control algorithm enhances the colour presentation of LED lighting systems. The algorithm for tuning the colour appearance of human face skin allows quick adjustment when captured by different cameras. This technology has been used by a famous manufacturer of cinema lighting fixtures and in the production of several Hollywood movies and TV series. Various solutions capture and display colours on video and image shooting equipment, encompassing the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to detect human faces in the frame and to optimise the colour appearance of skin tone. Chips with AI-powered white balance algorithm built-in ensure more faithful colours in photos and videos taken by digital cameras under different environment. These technologies have been adopted by world-class smartphone and XR device manufacturers. Other, related technologies include: Colour processing for images dominated by a single colour in telephoto and macro shooting Colour tuning during image processing Colour capture and reproduction of high dynamic range (HDR) scenes Ensured colour consistency of displays used in various devices A self-adjusting colour algorithm for mixed reality headsets   Prof. Tommy Minchen Wei said: “As more and more users embrace the metaverse, hyper-realistic digital realms have presented us with radically new ways to work, play and connect. Colour is an integral part of the metaverse experience. By developing cutting-edge algorithms and AI-powered solutions, I hope we can help content creators deliver the exact colours that they want users to see and allow users to immerse themselves in a more lifelike virtual world.” Prof. Wei has made significant contributions to scientific research in the field of colour science and has been awarded funding by various prestigious organisations. These include the Research Grants Council’s Research Impact Fund and General Research Fund, the National Natural Science Foundation of China’s 2022 Excellent Young Scientists Fund (Hong Kong and Macao) from, and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department in Hong Kong. For his exceptional research accomplishments, he has received numerous awards, including the Google Research Scholar Award, the 2022 PolyU Young Innovative Researcher Award and 2022 PolyU President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Knowledge Transfer. To accelerate the translation of research outcomes and create significant community impact, Prof. Wei last year co-founded Guardian Glow Limited. The startup focuses on the development of personalised AI smart devices (including for health monitoring) and solutions for key technologies used in XR headsets. Guardian Glow has successfully attracted financial support from various venture capital funds, as well as from angel and private investors to further develop its user experience enhancing colour management technologies.   ***END***

PolyU team wins distinguished award at QS Reimagine Education Awards 2023 by integrating technologies in teaching and learning

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) places a strong focus on technology in education and is committed to driving initiatives on teaching and learning innovations by developing interactive pedagogies. A cross-departmental PolyU team has won a Silver Award in the Asia Region at the QS Reimagine Awards 2023 with the project “Immersive Learning on the Run: Student-Staff Partnership for Technology-Facilitated Ubiquitous Learning”. PolyU is the only institution in Hong Kong to have won the Regional Award for Asia across all categories. The team was led by Dr Rodney CHU, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Applied Social Sciences, and included members from the Department and the Educational Development Centre. Last year, the team adopted an innovative Cave-cum-Studio Device into the PolyU General University Requirements subject “From Gloom to Bloom: Global New Urbanism”. With the provision of an immersive virtual environment and digital production studio, and the embedding of a student-staff partnership approach, students and teachers are empowered to co-design teaching and learning content and method that is tailored to students’ needs and interests. For instance, they have co-created videos spanning topics relating to intangible cultural heritage, urban landmarks, suburbs and markets, and then showcased them on HiVE at the University’s Industrial Centre, the first large-scale X-Reality hybrid classroom in Hong Kong. This approach allows students to assess sustainable development goals and enhances their learning experience. Dr Rodney Chu is honoured to have received this prestigious award, and said, “The advancement of technology has accelerated the digital transformation of various industries. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks for PolyU’s support and the efforts of our team members in fostering teaching innovation in class. Our award-winning project encourages students to understand local district development socially, economically and environmentally by leveraging the power of technology. It also helps teachers embrace interaction and participation in the teaching process, brings innovation to drive teaching and learning, and strengthens the competitiveness of our students. These features were key to enabling the team to stand out in the QS Reimagine Awards.” Known as the Oscars in the education sector, the Reimagine Education Awards are a global contest co-organised by Quacquarelli Symonds, compiler of the QS World University Rankings, and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. The Awards aim to reward institutions of higher education that have created and implemented outstanding new approaches to teaching and learning. This year, there were more than 1,200 applications from all over the world.   ***END***

PolyU secures Strategic Public Policy Research Funding from the Government to drive cross-regional cooperation in GBA construction industry

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is committed to conducting public policy research, leveraging its research strengths to benefit the community. The University has been granted funding from the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit’s Strategic Public Policy Research Funding Scheme (SPPRFS) 2023/24, being the only institution receiving such support this year. Developing the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) is a critical step in implementing the principle of “One Country, Two Systems”. Led by Prof. Geoffrey Q.P. SHEN, PolyU Associate Vice President (Global Partnerships) and Chair Professor of Construction Management of the Department of Building and Real Estate, the project “Policy Framework for Cross-Regional Cooperation Strategies in the Greater Bay Area’s Construction Industry” has received HK$3.96 million funding support from the SPPRFS 2023/24 for a period of 36 months. Focusing on development opportunities for the GBA under the National 14th Five-Year Plan, the research examines three strategic areas - talent cooperation, project management cooperation and regulatory cooperation. It aims to provide effective guidance and identify appropriate strategies to enable government departments and the industry to promote high-quality cooperation within the construction industry across the GBA. In addition to this funding, in the two rounds of the Public Policy Research Funding Scheme (PPRFS) 2023/24, PolyU secured funding for a total of eight projects encompassing different key areas such as cooperation with the Mainland, economic development, innovation and technology, environmental protection, education and youth development, political development and governance, and livelihood issues. PolyU projects funded in the latest round include: “Assessing the Adaptation of New Energy Vehicles in Hong Kong: The Future of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles and Electric Vehicles”, led by Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) and Director of the Policy Research Centre for Innovation and Technology; “Policy Recommendations on Sustainable Logistics Development in Hong Kong under the Global ESG Trend and Initiatives”, led by Dr Yung Po TSANG, Research Assistant Professor of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering; “Electrifying the Bus System in Hong Kong: Feasibility Analysis and System Optimization”, led by Dr ZHUGE Chengxiang, Assistant Professor of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics; and “Relationship between Travel Behaviour and Built Environment Factors: Impacts on Mobility and Quality of Life of People with Physical Disabilities”, led by Dr Esther H.K. YUNG, Associate Professor of the Department of Building and Real Estate. SPPRFS and PPRFS are administered by the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit. Funded projects are expected to provide valuable insights into the Government’s policy-making process, with outcomes which can be effectively and practically translated into policy. SPPRFS aims to support longer-term public policy research on strategic themes and research areas identified by the Government, with a funding cap of HK$5 million for each project. PPRFS focuses on smaller-scale public policy research of shorter duration, with a funding cap of HK$1 million or below for each project.   ***END***

Five PolyU research granted RGC Research Impact Fund Leading local universities in number of funded projects

Five projects led by researchers at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have received funding from the Research Grant Council (RGC) Research Impact Fund (RIF) 2023/24, leading the way among local universities in terms of the number of funded projects. The five projects have been granted total funding of HK$20.9 million. Embracing diverse research areas, the funding will support PolyU researchers in translating scientific findings into real-world applications and providing more impactful solutions to benefit society. Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, said, “We are pleased to have attained such encouraging results, which recognise our scientific research prowess. PolyU’s research excellence in the fields of microbiology, construction and environment, geoinformatics technology and intelligent wearable textiles will continue to make influential contributions to society. Furthermore, collaboration between academia and industry will leverage synergistic strengths and facilitate the translation of research into real-world applications.” The five funded projects are: “Development of Bacterial Pseudaminic Acid-based Vaccine to Combat Infections Caused by Multidrug Resistant Bacteria”, led by Prof. CHEN Sheng, Head and Chair Professor of Microbiology of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition; “Digital Twin-enabled Intelligent Assessment and Maintenance of Offshore Wind Turbine Structures in a Life-cycle Context”, led by Prof. ZHU Songye, Associate Head and Professor of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; “An AI-enabled Geospatial Platform for Smart Facility Management and Smart Mobility of People with Disabilities, led by Dr LIU Xintao, Associate Professor of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics; “Durable Low-carbon Asphalt Pavement Built with Recycled Waste Polyolefin Plastics through Reactive Extrusion”, led by Prof. LENG Zhen, Professor of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; and “Developing a New Generation of Pressure-controlled Wearable Soft Braces to Improve the Efficiency and Compliance in Treating Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis”, led by Prof. YIP Yiu-wan Joanne, Associate Dean and Professor of the School of Fashion and Textiles. The RIF encourages academics to harness the potential of their research to deliver benefits to the wider community, spurring impactful and translational research projects. The Fund also promotes collaboration between academia and government departments, the business sector, industry and research institutes. Successful projects are granted funding of up to HK$10 million per project for a three to five-year period. In total, 14 projects were supported by the RIF in the 2023/24 exercise. For further information of these PolyU funded projects, please refer to the appendix.   ***END***

PolyU holds 2024 New Year’s Day flag-raising ceremony

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) today held a flag-raising ceremony on campus to welcome the New Year. PolyU Council Chairman Dr LAM Tai-fai, President Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, Deputy Council Chairman Dr Lawrence LI Kwok-chang, President Emeritus Prof. the Honourable POON Chung-kwong, Emeritus Professor (Structural Engineering) Prof. Jan-ming KO, together with Council and Court members, University senior management, University Fellows, Outstanding Alumni, members of the PolyU Foundation, distinguished guests, staff, students and alumni attended the ceremony, wishing the Nation and Hong Kong prosperity and stability. The ceremony was performed by the PolyU Student Flag-Raising Team. Dr Lam Tai-fai said, “Over the past year, Hong Kong has advanced towards a new stage, moving from stability to prosperity, with the economy showing gradual recovery and society restoring its stability. We are also pleased to see the District Council Election concluded successfully, which strengthens the implementation of the ‘patriots administering Hong Kong’ principle. In 2024, PolyU will harness its strengths in education, research and knowledge transfer, while rendering its full support to the HKSAR government in integrating itself into the overall development of the Nation and fully capitalising on our distinctive advantages of strong support from the Motherland and close connection to the world under the principle of ‘One Country, Two Systems’, working hand in hand with our country to create a better future.” Prof. Jin-Guang Teng remarked, “With the aspiration to be an innovative world-class university, PolyU is committed to nurturing socially responsible talents who possess a strong sense of national identity and a global perspective, and to pursuing impactful research and innovation to address societal needs. As the new year begins, we will continue to strive for excellence, support the development of Hong Kong into an international innovation and technology hub, and contribute to the advancement of our Nation, as guided by our motto: ‘To learn and to apply, for the benefit of mankind’.”   ***END***

PolyU and HKPM host Stories of China Lecture by Palace Museum Director Dr Wang Xudong - “Dunhuang and the Palace Museum: The Fruits of Exchange and Mutual Learning among Cultures”

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) jointly organised the Stories of China Lecture on “Dunhuang and the Palace Museum: The Fruits of Exchange and Mutual Learning among Cultures” at the Jockey Club Auditorium, PolyU on 11 December. Dr WANG Xudong, Director of the Palace Museum, was invited to speak at the lecture and shed light on the protection and inheritance of Dunhuang and the Forbidden City. Approximately 600 guests, PolyU staff, students, alumni and members of the public joined the event to gain a deeper understanding of Chinese culture. The lecture was attended by Ms Winnie TAM Wan-chi, Chairman of the HKPM Board; Prof. LEE Chack-fan, Vice Chairman of the HKPM Board; Dr Louis NG, Museum Director of the HKPM; Dr LAM Tai-fai, Council Chairman of PolyU; and Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, President of PolyU. Joined by Prof. HAN Xiaorong, Head of the Department of Chinese History and Culture, PolyU as a moderator, Dr Wang also engaged in discussion with two PolyU postgraduate students on the continuity and dissemination of Chinese culture. In his lecture, Dr Wang discussed the formation, development and preservation of Dunhuang and the Palace Museum, and inspired the audience to embrace their cultural heritage with confidence. By fostering a more open-minded and inclusive appreciation of the outstanding achievements of human civilisation, it is hoped to cultivate a nation with strong cultural influence, safeguard humanity’s precious cultural heritage and strive towards building a community with a shared future for mankind. Dr Wang served consecutively as the Deputy Director, Executive Deputy Director and Director of the Dunhuang Academy. He is now a Party Member of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Director of the Palace Museum. Dr Wang’s work focuses primarily on the conservation of caves, ancient mural paintings and earthen sites, as well as research into monitoring and early warning systems and preventive conservation of cultural heritage. He has presided over sixty conservation projects at nationally protected key cultural heritage sites, published more than thirty academic papers and six monographs as primary author, and has been granted numerous titles and awards.   ***END***

PolyU Grand Concert 2023 successfully held: Bringing together esteemed artists to foster the inheritance of musical greatness

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) held the PolyU Grand Concert 2023 last week at the Jockey Club Auditorium. The concert, themed “Echoes of Generations,” brought together esteemed musical legends and rising young talents to create a captivating musical journey that connected generations and fostered the inheritance of art and culture as well as musical greatness. The Grand Concert attracted full-house guests and members of the PolyU community, who came together to enjoy the enchanting power of music. This year’s Grand Concert was presented by the PolyU Artists’ Alliance, and the Concert programme was curated by the Alliance’s Convenor, Dr Liza WANG, a veteran performing artist and PolyU Fellow. The Concert was also directed by PolyU Artists’ Alliance member Mr LEUNG Kin-fung, a world-class musician and PolyU Fellow. Earlier this year, the University inaugurated the PolyU Artists’ Alliance, comprising renowned artists in different fields. Dr Liza Wang said, “We were very pleased to invite established maestros and up-and-coming young talents to perform with PolyU’s community. Through performances in music, dance and other art forms, we presented classic pieces that carried a series of historical and cultural memories, as well as pieces which incorporated modern elements. We aimed to integrate ancient and modern cultures from East and West, and connecting generations via diversified artistic performances and collaboration between artists and PolyU’s staff, students and alumni.” The Grand Concert featured an all-star lineup of distinguished artists delivering a variety of world-class performances spanning different genres and art forms. The performers included renowned tenor Dr Warren MOK; guzheng virtuoso Dr Lunlun ZOU, a PolyU Fellow; Steinway Artist Dr Vivian CHENG Wai; soprano Ms Bing Bing WANG; soprano Ms Louise KWONG; conductor of the PolyU Choir Mr Alex TAM; the Hong Kong Dance Company; current undergraduate student and pop-singer Miss Gigi YIM Ming-hay; and undergraduate student Mr Tony AU YEUNG. The Concert also featured talents from the PolyU community, PolyU Orchestra and PolyU Choir. The PolyU Grand Concert 2023 not only represented PolyU’s commitment to advancing art and culture but also fostered creativity and promoted an appreciation for art and culture among the next generation as well as in the wider community.     This year’s Grand Concert was presented by the PolyU Artists’ Alliance, and the Concert programme was curated by the Alliance’s Convenor, Dr Liza Wang, a veteran performing artist and PolyU Fellow.   The PolyU Grand Concert 2023 was directed by PolyU Artists’ Alliance member Mr Leung Kin-fung, a world-class musician and PolyU Fellow.   Mr Leung Kin-fung, who is also a renowned violinist, performed a violin solo from the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto Excerpt.   The renowned tenor Dr Warren Mok (right) and soprano Ms Bing Bing Wang (left) respectively performed the songs O Sole Mio and Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiss from Giuditta. They also performed a chorus of Brindisi from La Traviata.   Dr Lunlun Zou performed a guzheng solo from Singing the Night among Fishing Boat.   Steinway Artist Dr Vivian Cheng Wai (front) performed a piano solo from the Yellow River Piano Concerto, 3rd & 4th movements and Hungarian Dance No.1 Piano Duet with PolyU student Mr Tony Au Yeung (back).   Soprano Ms Louise Kwong performed O mio babbino caro (Oh my dear Papa) from Gianni Schicchi.   Conductor of the PolyU Choir Mr Alex Tam performed in the PolyU Grand Concert 2023.   The Hong Kong Dance Company, a PolyU Artists’ Alliance member, performed a Group Dance (Han Dynasty).   PolyU student and pop-singer Miss Gigi Yim Ming-hay sang three pop songs, including《大開眼界》, Only for Me and《今生今世》.   Conducted by Mr Leung Kin-fung, the PolyU Orchestra performed Selections from The Phantom of the Opera.   Conducted by Mr Alex Tam, the PolyU Choir sang The Song of PolyU and I Will Sing You the Stars.   ***END***