Chinese University puts nation's history and culture on curriculum
Chinese University takes aim at overseas students with fresh focus on the nation's history and culture, writesLinda Yeung
In its early days, Chinese University was a haven for scholars who had fled the Communist regime on the mainland. One of its constituent colleges, New Asia College, for example, was founded by acclaimed Confucianism experts Chien Mu and Tang Junyi, who moved to Hong Kong after 1949.
The university has remained a popular base for China research by scholars from around the world. Its library, and the Universities Services Centre for China studies (established in 1963), hold an extensive collection of ancient and modern Chinese scholarship.
Now the university is raising its profile as a place which teaches about, as well as researches, the country. Its newly founded Centre for China Studies offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and is aimed at international students.
Kok Nam Deok, from South Korea, is a first year student in the centre's contemporary China studies (social science stream) programme.
Having learned Chinese in high school, he knows his dream of becoming a diplomat hinges on his understanding of Chinese culture.
Chinese University 's proximity to Shenzhen is an attraction for him; so is the chance of mingling with mainland and Hong Kong students. "We share rooms with local students in the dormitories, and inevitably we learn about their culture and what to expect from them," he says.