Ancient Chinese Academies: Their Legacy and Modern Insights

Focusing on Confucianism, the concept of “academies” began in the late Tang dynasty and flourished during the Southern Song Dynasty. Dr Leung Wai-mun, Associate Professor of the Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, discusses the rich history and enduring values of ancient Chinese academies in a recent article. She also draws modern parallels, suggesting how these timeless principles can inspire contemporary educational practices. Click HERE to read more.

UBSN Researchers Advancing Therapies for Brain Disorders

Researchers at the Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience (UBSN) lab at PolyU are making significant strides in advancing therapies for brain disorders through a multidisciplinary approach. Among the notable researchers is Dr Caicai Zhang, Associate Professor in the Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, whose work focuses on developmental disorders of language. Dr Zhang and her team use neural imaging, behavioural, and machine learning methods to identify language issues early. Their research links these disorders to specific brain circuits involved in memory and language processing, aiming to predict and provide timely support to children with language development challenges. Click HERE to read the full article in Nature’s Neuroscience Supplement.

ENGL PhD Student Receives Best Presentation Award at 2nd PolyU Research Student Conference

ENGL PhD Student Miss Xinrui Li Rachel has been awarded the Best Presentation Award at the 2nd PolyU Research Student Conference (PRSC 2024) held on 29-30 August 2024. Her presentation, titled “Small talk in academic workplace: time-wasting or work facilitator?”, stood out among the participants. Aiming at promoting innovative and high-quality research, PRSC is the flagship research student conference, providing Research Postgraduate students and the students of College of Undergraduate Researchers and Innovators (CURI) in PolyU with the opportunity to present their research work and findings. PRSC also provides an excellent opportunity for students from different disciplines to network with peers, and establishes a collaborative and supportive research community at PolyU.

Dr Leung Wai-mun Introduces the Evolution of Banquet Etiquettes in Ancient China

Chinese culinary culture is deeply intertwined with rituals and social customs. Dr Leung Wai-mun, Associate Professor of the Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, explores the evolution Chinese banquet culture in the Hong Kong Economic Journal. Click HERE to read the full article.

Prof. William Shiyuan Wang on Rebuilding Trust and Goodwill to Retain Control in the Age of AI

Prof. William Shiyuan Wang, Chair Professor of Language and Cognitive Sciences, penned an opinion piece in the South China Morning Post, arguing that to maintain control over our lives and the planet amidst the rise of artificial intelligence, we must rebuild trust and goodwill while curbing our destructive behaviour. Click HERE to read the full article.

Dr Winsy Wong Discusses Visual Impairment and Dementia on Local TV Programme

Dr Winsy Wong, Research Assistant Professor of the Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, was recently featured on RTHK’s TV programme Healthpedia. Dr Wong shared her expertise on the relationship between visual impairment and dementia, as well as “A Trip of Memory” – an innovative cognitive stimulation training programme. This initiative, launched by The Kowloon Motor Bus Co. (1933) Ltd., The Hong Kong Society for the Blind Residential Services, the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, and the Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies of PolyU in collaboration with the University, uses nostalgic bus trips to enhance cognitive function in visually impaired elderly individuals. Click HERE to watch the interview.

Generous Donation in Support of New Areas of Humanities Study

Ruhui Foundation Limited has generously donated seven million Hong Kong dollars to PolyU Faculty of Humanities in support of new areas of humanities study, in particular, in the areas of technology and Chinese history and culture, and translation and culture. In the fields of Chinese culture, the funding will be used to support research that aims to explore how technology can be integrated into the understanding of Chinese history, culture, language, and literature, and to foster innovative teaching in Chinese history and literature. It also aims to enhance public interest in traditional culture, while exploring modern issues such as cultural identity and ethic challenges of new technologies. This will increase the public awareness of understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture, promoting the harmonious coexistence of cultural heritage and technological innovation. In the fields of translation and culture, the funding will be used to support research that aims to explore the impact of cultural differences and technological development on translation, thereby gaining a deeper understanding of history and history of translation, as well as promoting the positive dissemination of Chinese language and culture. Besides, one million Hong Kong dollars will be used to set up a “Ruhui Scholarship in Humanities and Artificial Intelligence” to cultivate students to be interdisciplinary professionals who can integrate generative AI with humanities to address the humanities-related challenges, including ethical issues, racial biases and data privacy, brought about by AI, especially today’s generative AI. Students from our MSc in Generative AI and the Humanities programme will be eligible to apply for these scholarships. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Foundation for this philanthropic donation. The donation not only enables the Faculty and its researchers to explore innovative ideas and conduct research projects with high social impact, but also provides students with opportunities to implement their innovative ideas in a real-life context.

FH Scholars Named Among World’s Top 2% Scientists

Four current scholars from the Faculty have appeared among the top 2% scientists of the world, according to the newly released 2024 Stanford/Elsevier list. Faculty Dean Prof. Li Ping, Associate Dean Prof. Hu Guangwei have been ranked again as top scholars globally in the fields of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences (sub-field: Experimental Psychology) and Communication and Textual studies (sub-field: Languages and Linguistics), respectively. Prof Li is ranked 9th on Annual Impacts in the Psychology/Cognitive Science area in the Greater China region. Prof. Hu is ranked 45th worldwide in his field. Prof. Huang Chu-Ren, Chair Professor of Applied Chinese Language Studies, and Prof. Li Shaofeng have also been featured on the list in the fields of Information and Communication Technologies (sub-field: Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing) and Communication and Textual studies (sub-field: Languages and Linguistics). The Stanford/Elsevier list covers the top 100,000 names across 22 scientific fields and 174 sub-fields using indicators such as citations, an individual’s scientific research output, co-authorship and a composite indicator for career-long citation impact up to the end of 2023.

Faculty Dean Prof. Li Ping Conferred at 5th Inauguration of Endowed Professorships cum 2nd Inauguration of Endowed Young Scholars

The Fifth Inauguration of Endowed Professorships cum The Second Inauguration of Endowed Young Scholars was held yesterday (12 September). The event marked the inauguration of five new Endowed Professorships, four successive Endowed Professorships, five new Endowed Young Scholar positions and one successive Endowed Young Scholar position. Our Faculty Dean, Prof. Li Ping, was conferred as the Sin Wai Kin Foundation Professor in Humanities and Technology. Prof. Li’s research sheds light on how the human brain functions when learning a new language. His findings could revolutionise the future of language acquisition and education. Click HERE to watch his Endowed Professor video. PolyU established the Endowed Professorship Scheme in 2012 to honour distinguished scholars for their outstanding academic and research achievements. With extra resources from the Scheme, Endowed Professors will be able to step up their excellent work in research and education.

DALS Student Publishes Article with Dr Nate Ming Curran in TESOL Quarterly

Our Doctor of Applied Language Sciences (DALS) student, Jinyan (Stephy) Wang, has co-authored an article with Dr Nate Ming Curran from the Department of English and Communication in the top journal TESOL Quarterly. The article, titled “Competing for Views and Students: The Implications of Platformization for Online Language Teaching”, examines the accounts of two popular English teachers on the social media platform Douyin. It argues that platformization significantly impacts TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), influencing not only how language teachers construct their identities but also how the role of language teachers is perceived in the age of ubiquitous social media. Click HERE to read the full article.