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RECENT FOCUS

PolyU is proud to announce the launch of the Yuen Ren Chao Prize in Language Sciences (“the Prize”) which aims to recognise the study of language sciences and honour those who have made distinguished contributions to the field.

Initiated and hosted by the Faculty, the Prize is named in honour of the late Prof. Yuen Ren Chao, who is widely regarded as the father of modern Chinese language studies. Prof. Chao’s legacy as a distinguished linguist, poet, composer, translator and educator has left an indelible mark on scholars in China, Asia and around the world.

President Prof. Jin-Guang Teng, and the University senior management, joined by Faculty Dean Prof. Li Ping, Chair Professor of Language and Cognitive Sciences Prof. William Shi-Yuan Wang as well as distinguished guests including Dr Louis Ng Chi-wa, Director of Hong Kong Palace Museum; Prof. Ovid Jyh-Lang Tzeng, Academician of Academic Sinica; Dr Warren Mok, Artistic Director of Opera Hong Kong and renowned tenor; Ms Bing Bing Wang, renowned soprano; and Prof. Xu Jie, Dean of Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Macau, officiated at the Launch Ceremony.

Click HERE to watch the Launch Ceremony.

To more accurately reflect the structure and strength of the Department, our Department of Chinese Culture (中國文化學系) will be retitled as the Department of Chinese History and Culture (中國歷史及文化學系) with effect from 1 September 2023.

The Faculty successfully hosted the Roundtable on ChatGPT and Large Language Models: Linguistic, Cognitive, and Humanistic Perspectives. Held on 5 August 2023, the event brought together esteemed professors and distinguished researchers.

With Dean, Prof. Ping Li, serving as the Convener and Chair, the roundtable included Prof. Hualou Liang from Drexel University, Prof. Nian-Shing Chen from National Taiwan Normal University, Prof. Ovid J-L. Tzeng from National Taiwan Normal University, Dr Samuel Nastase from Princeton University, and Dr Qihui Xu from Basque Center on Cognition, Brain, and Language. Engaging in thought-provoking discussions, the participants showcased their expertise and provided insights into the best strategies for using emerging technologies.

Congratulations to the following award recipients on receiving the Faculty’s Outstanding Alumni Award (in alphabetical order of the last name):

Outstanding Alumni Award in Community Service Achievement of PolyU Faculty of Humanities 2023
Ms Doris LEUNG Shuk Yi
Co-Founder, Diamond Tech (Hong Kong) Limited and Founder and CEO, Diamond Cab (Hong Kong) Limited
BA (Hons) in Language and Communication (1993)
Department of English and Communication

Outstanding Young Alumni Award in Professional Achievement of PolyU Faculty of Humanities 2023
Mr NIU Yi
Chinese IB/MYP language Teacher/ Advisor, Chinese International School
Master of Arts in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (2010)
Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies

Outstanding Young Alumni Award in Entrepreneurial Achievement of PolyU Faculty of Humanities 2023
Mr ZHANG Quan
CEO, Twelves Ways Ltd.
Master of Arts in Chinese Culture (2012)
Department of Chinese Culture

Click HERE to read more about the awardees.

Our Hong Kong Linguistics Olympiad team has achieved excellent results at the 20th International Linguistics Olympiad held in Bulgaria this year, taking home a gold medal and two silver medals at the individual contest, as well as an honourable mention in the team contest:

Absolute Gold medal (highest score in the whole Olympiad): Ian Tam (individual contest)
Silver medal: Henry Wong (individual contest) and Zhang Yixuan (individual contest)
Honourable mention: Ian Tam, Henry Wong, Zhang Yixuan and Ryan Lo (team contest)
Best solution award: Ian Tam (problems 2, 3 and 5)

The team is jointly trained by the Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies and the Department of English and Communication. Please visit the HKLO page for more information about the team.

The Faculty is delighted to share the news that Prof. Louise Cummings of the Department of English and Communication has been appointed as Associate Editor of the new journal Language and Health. Published by Elsevier, Language and Health aims to illustrate the complex relationship between language and health. It covers studies on human language in the field of health and medicine, and explorations of health and medicine from the perspective of language, with topics including language and physical health, language and mental health, language and social adaptability, ranging from children, adults to elder people. Click HERE to read more about the journal.

Dr Li Meng, Teaching Fellow of the Confucius Institute of Hong Kong at PolyU, co-hosted RTHK’s TV programme Dialogue with Masters and talked about the poetries and verses in the Northern and Southern dynasties in the latest episode with Prof. Nicolas Chan Wai Shun of CUHK. The TV series covers a total of 13 episodes on poetries and literatures from Pre-Qin period to 1990s.

Click HERE to watch the episode.

More than 200 students from both local secondary and international schools participated in a three-day PolyU summer camp. The Faculty Dean Prof. Li Ping, Associate Dean (FH) Prof. Hu Guangwei and Associate Head of Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, Prof. Li Dechao expressed their warmest welcome to participants at a welcoming dinner. Around 20 participants engaged in a diverse array of activities organised by the Faculty of Humanities and its departments. The activities were designed to convey practical skills and knowledge relating to language, culture, and communication within a university context. The experience provided a glimpse into the life of a Faculty of Humanities student, which equipped participants with the necessary insights to make decisions concerning their future academic pursuits.

EVENTS

• (9 September 2023) Career lecture & Outstanding Alumni Award Ceremony
• (13 September 2023) 「科技、社會與文化」講座系列03：留日學生、朝鮮因素與1920年代民國醫療雙軌制的建立
• (15 September 2023) Distinguished Lectures in Humanities: Language Studies in Daily Life 日常生活中的語言學 (to be given by Prof. CUI Xiliang, Beijing Language and Culture University)
• (18 September 2023) “Science, Technology, Society and Culture” Talk Series 04: From Native Pesticides to Chinese Medicine Agriculture: Traditional Chinese Agricultural Knowledge in the 1950s and Today
• (14 October 2023) PolyU Invitational English Speech Contest