The world’s longest bridge spanning the sea is going to connect Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao, three important cities in the Pearl River Delta. One day before the builders linked all the decks of the bridge, over 80 scholars and professionals from Hong Kong, Macao and Zhuhai came to UIC to share their research on the influence and opportunities brought by the bridge.
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge
Five keynote speakers addressed the 2016 Guangdong Annual Conference of Social Sciences (Zhuhai) at UIC on the morning of 26 September, with the theme of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the development of the three cities.
Lee Chack Fan, member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and former Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong, discussed how the bridge would boost the One Belt-One Road Initiative in terms of infrastructure development as well as in economic, social and cultural terms.
Lee Chack Fan
Vice president of the Macao Society of Social Sciences Shek Kiu Chan focused on how Macao’s gambling tourism could be enhanced thanks to the bridge.
Shek Kiu Chan
Yuan Chiping, deputy director of the Centre for Studies of Hong Kong, Macao and Pearl River Delta, Sun Yat-Sen University, suggested that Zhuhai improve its transportation network, in which its industrial parks could be easily linked with the bridge. In this way Zhuhai would ideally integrate all kinds of resources from Hong Kong and Macao.
Yuan Chiping
According to Joe Zhou Fang, Chief Research Officer of the One Country Two Systems Research Institute, lowering the threshold for applying for vehicle registration plates would increase the popularity to visit Zhuhai for Hong Kong residents. Therefore Zhuhai would take full advantage of the busy traffic bridge.
Joe Zhou Fang
Ricky Wong, head of advisory in KPMG Southern China, then elaborated where the financial and management consulting business in the three cities will be heading during China’s 13th Five-Year Plan.
Ricky Wong
In the afternoon, eight paper authors – with three from UIC – out of 43 papers accepted, also spoke. One of them was Dr Shi Lei, Associate Professor of UIC’s Division of Culture and Creativity as well as Coordinator of the WPE Physical Education Centre. He talked about his research on sports and leisure industries in the three cities.
Shi Lei
During the opening address, UIC President Prof Ng Ching-Fai drew an analogy between UIC and the bridge that are both devoted to bridging Hong Kong’s and the mainland’s educational development.
President Ng Ching-Fai
Wang Xiao, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group at the Guangdong Social Sciences Association, believed the annual conference provided a platform for academics and scholars to exchange innovative theories.
Wang Xiao
Chairman of the Zhuhai Social Sciences Association, Cai Xinhua, praised UIC for its pioneering exploration of the cooperation between Hong Kong and mainland tertiary education. He added that UIC is indeed an exemplar of the One Country Two Systems.
Cai Xinhua
After the conference, led by Wei Dongqing, Executive Director of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Authority, over 30 of the guests visited the East Artificial Island of the bridge.
Wei Dongqing
Vice chairman of the Zhuhai Social Sciences Association Cao Shiyou makes closing remarks
Reporter/Photographer: Deen He
(from MPRO, with special thanks to the ELC)
