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A new programme aiming to nurture a new generation of interdisciplinary professionals capable of combining knowledge of AI with humanities in today’s data-driven world has been launched at our Faculty.

The MSc in Generative AI and the Humanities* is the first of its kind in Hong Kong and the world that offers a specialised focus on Generative AI in the context of humanities. Its integration of AI and humanities will enable students to address complex societal challenges and contribute to innovation in various industries. To offer students unparalleled flexibility and also opportunities to align their disciplinary expertise, the programme combines foundational subjects in generative AI with two specialisms, namely ‘Language and Communication’, and ‘Arts and Culture’.

Hosted by our Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, other contributing departments include the Department of Chinese History and Culture, Department of English and Communication, and Department of Computing. Find more information about the programme and how to apply HERE.
*Subject to approval

Congratulations to the Class of 2023! The 29th Congregation (FH) has been successfully concluded on 11 November 2023. It was kicked off with opening remarks from the Faculty Dean Prof. Li Ping. This year, we were honoured to have three Guests of Honour, Mr Zhang Quan, Founder and CEO of Twelves Flavors Group, and Recipient of the Outstanding Young Alumni Award in Entrepreneurial Achievement of PolyU Faculty of Humanities 2023, in the first session; Mr Niu Yi, Founder of Unicow Education and Technology (International) Holdings Limited, Chinese IB/MYP Language Teacher/Advisor, Chinese International School and Recipient of the Outstanding Young Alumni Award in Professional Achievement of PolyU Faculty of Humanities 2023, in the second session; and Ms Doris Leung Shuk Yi, Founder of Diamond Tech (Hong Kong) Limited, Founder and CEO of Diamond Cab (Hong Kong) Limited and Recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award in Community Service Achievement of PolyU Faculty of Humanities 2023, in the third session, to give the congratulatory address.

A total number of 755 students graduated this year, including 571 students receiving postgraduate degrees and awards and 184 students receiving bachelor’s degrees. Awards and certificates were presented to students and Faculty members for their outstanding achievements and services.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), in collaboration with Jiangsu Normal University and the University of Macau, jointly hosted the “Mainland-Hong Kong-Macau University Students’ Chinese Classics Recital Show 2023” in Hong Kong on 13 November 2023. It was fully supported by the Ten Thousand People’s Scheme coordinated by the Ministry of Education. Click HERE for details.

Faculty Dean Prof. Li Ping introduced the industry-academia-research cooperation between PolyU and the city of Hangzhou at the 2nd Global Digital Trade Expo. PolyU has recently signed an agreement for the establishment of the PolyU-Hangzhou Technology and Innovation Research Institute, which will focus on areas like digital cultural tourism, intelligent operation of rail transport and AI-powered aesthetic medicine.

Prof. William Shi-Yuan Wang, Chair Professor of Language and Cognitive Sciences, was awarded a Doctor of Humanities honoris causa by the University of Macau (UM) on 2 December 2023 in recognition of his outstanding achievements and significant contributions to society. Prof. Wang, as noted by Prof. Xu Jie, Dean of UM’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities, is a “world-renowned linguist who has made world-class contributions to the fields of linguistic theory, language engineering, evolutionary linguistics, among others. His research has long pioneered the development of linguistics in many areas, making landmark contributions to Chinese and world linguistics.”

An article written by our Dr Molly Pan and Prof. Dennis Tay titled, "The effectiveness of metaphors in Chinese video advertisements for depression: An experimental study", has been recognised as a Editors' Choice article in Lingua, a Science Direct journal of Elsevier. This research paper delves into the uncharted territory of the impact of metaphors in video advertisements for depression-related products. The study explores how metaphors can shape viewers' perceptions, cognitive and affective elaboration, attitudes towards the advertisement, and even their purchase intentions. Click HERE to read the article.

Dr Emmanuele Chersoni, Assistant Professor of the Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies (CBS), and CBS graduate Ms Chenxin Liu, received an honorable mention to Best Paper Award at the BlackboxNLP 2023 which was held in Singapore on 7 December 2023. The Blackbox NLP is an important international workshop on analysing and interpreting neural networks for natural language processing.

The paper "On Quick Kisses and How to Make Them Count: A Study on Event Construal in Light Verb Constructions with BERT" was co-authored by Dr Chersoni and Chenxin. It is noteworthy that the materials of the paper came from the Capstone Project that Chenxin did with Dr Chersoni during the final year of her undergraduate studies at CBS. Click HERE to read the paper.

Mr Eddy Wong Chun Ho, a PhD student of our Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, has won the PolyU Best Research Postgraduate Student Award 2023.

The award, established by the Graduate School earlier this year, recognises and rewards outstanding RPg students for their excellence in research, academic achievement and personal growth. It also intends to promote a sense of belonging among our RPg students and motivate them to actively participate in research-related activities.

Ms Liu Yanjin, a DALS student from the Faculty of Humanities, presented her paper entitled "Bilingual Fine-Grained Emotion Detection through LLMs: An Examination of Emotions in English and Translated Chinese Children's Literature" at the 6th Cognitive Translation Studies Conference, winning the Third Prize in the Best Papers Awards in Cognitive Translation Studies. Click HERE to see details of the conference.

Our CBS MATI student, Ms Zhao Yamei, won Silver Prize at the national final of the 2023 “FLTRP·ETIC Cup National University Foreign Language Competition (English Interpreting) – Understanding Contemporary China" held on 5 December.

Organised by the Beijing Foreign Studies University, the FLTRP ETIC Cup Competition has been the only foreign language competition selected to the list of National University Discipline Competition Ranking since 2021. This prestigious competition puts participants' interpreting skills to the test in diverse realms of contemporary China, spanning politics, economics, society, and culture.

Dr Nga-Yan Hui, a 2023 PhD graduate of CBS, has been awarded the 2023 LSHK Outstanding Thesis Award under the category of PhD thesis. The award was offered by The Linguistic Society of Hong Kong (香港語言學學會) to encourage young scholars at local tertiary education institutions to conduct linguistics research.

The LSHK Outstanding Thesis Award acknowledges exceptional theses that make significant contributions to any field within linguistics, including MA, MPhil, PhD, and Doctorate theses. Click HERE to read Dr Hui's wining thesis.

Members of the Faculty joined the 15th East Asia Humanities Forum held between 3 and 6 November 2023. The Forum, themed “East Asian Humanistic Studies in The Digital Age”, provided a platform for our Faculty members to showcase their research findings and exchange views with notable scholars in the fields. Other participating partner universities included Hanyang University, Nankai University, National Taiwan University, Tsinghua University, and Waseda University.

The Forum will be organised by the Faculty next year and Prof. Han Xiaorong, Head of Department of Chinese History and Culture, announced on the occasion that its theme would be “The Formation of East Asian Academic Communities: Histories, Discourses and Practices”.

The PolyU Information Day 2023 was successfully held on 21 October. This event is one of the best opportunities for visitors to learn about FH’s undergraduate and taught postgraduate programmes and to explore their study options. FH Departments introduced their programmes and facilities on the occasion. Information seminars, thematic talks, guided visits and many more activities were also arranged for visitors. Click HERE to view the online information seminars.

Dr Hang Xing, Associate Professor of the Department of Chinese History and Culture, expounded upon China’s influence on Laos and adjacent countries such as Thailand and Myanmar through the Belt and Road Initiative in an interview with a local tv station. Click HERE to watch the interview.

Mr Alex Ho (Assistant Professor of Practice) and Ms Faye Kou (Speech Therapist) from our Speech Therapy Unit were featured on a local TV programme explaining and providing valuable insights into speech and language disorders affecting children. Click HERE to watch the programme.

EVENTS

• (19 December 2023- 8 March 2024) 徵稿啟事——中華文化論壇
• (8 January 2024) 25th Anniversary Webinar by Prof Jozef Colpaert, How to Determine the Added Value of New Technologies for Language Learning and Teaching at University Level?
• (13 January 2024) Master of Speech Therapy Info Seminar
• (10-11 May 2024) International Symposium on Language Sciences (ISLS): Interdisciplinary Research and the Legacy of Yuen Ren Chao