Mr Leung Chun-ying, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC and the Fourth Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR visited UIC on 12 April 2023 and inspired students to seize opportunities of the Greater Bay Area at a High Table Dinner speech.
Mr Leung shared his insights on world trends during his speech. He pointed out that opportunities are flourishing in China, demonstrating with examples of Chinese medicine, tea and wine industry, and he urged students to take an active part in the era of change.
Mr Leung Chun-ying delivers a speech at UIC's High Table Dinner
Mr Leung also emphasised that the younger generation should be more confident about their country and culture. In China, there are ample treasures waiting to be discovered when many of them are masked by the dust of history, and their beauty is transnational and transcultural.
"We showcase that not just as Chinese civilisation, Chinese culture. All these belong to the world," he said.
Students and staff listen to the speech attentively
Therefore, in Mr Leung's opinion, students should plan ahead and constantly improve themselves. He hoped that UIC students could utilise the English-teaching environment and keep enhancing their language ability because English is a significant tool for communication worldwide.
"We are here to show you in the public world and part of the 8 billion people on this planet what we have," he encouraged the students. "We need young people to carry this torch forward."
UIC President Prof Tang Tao presents a souvenir to Mr Leung
A student raises a question during the Q&A session
Group photo
Before the dinner, Mr Leung had a discussion with UIC students and Hong Kong teachers, exchanging ideas on the Greater Bay Area, the employment of university students and the integration between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland.
Mr Leung talks with students and teachers at UIC
In an interview with the media, he spoke of the growing cooperation between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland in education in recent years, and UIC is the first full-scale cooperation demonstration.
Mr Leung during the media interview
He hoped students could fully embrace the diverse and international environment provided by the universities and colleges and the Greater Bay Area, and contribute to the development of the country.
Mr Leung is dedicated to boosting the integration of Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. He founded Minxin Hong Kong School (Guangzhou Nansha) and a foundation to better promote communication between the two regions.
Mr Leung and Prof Tang tour around UIC
UIC President, Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences Prof Tang Tao mentioned that Mr Leung had always been committed to the development of Hong Kong and the mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area, adding this had been Mr Leung's second visit to UIC since February 2011. Prof Tang said that graduates from the Minxin School are welcome to apply for UIC and contribute to the construction of the Greater Bay Area in the future.
Mr Leung's first visit to UIC in February 2011
Founded in 2005 in Zhuhai of the GBA, UIC has nurtured over 15 thousand students by tapping into traditional Chinese and Western cultural resources, upholding academic meritocracy, language proficiency, national anchoring and international orientation.
Among the Class of 2022 who confirmed placement, 84.6% have opted for postgraduate studies with 81% choosing further studies abroad. A total of 83.5% of those who preferred destinations abroad have been admitted to the world's top 100 universities. Many of the graduates have started their careers in Fortune 500 companies, government agencies or non-profit organisations, and 62% have chosen cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
From MPRO
Reporter: Cecilia Yu
Photographer: Kristen Jin, Covee Wang, Season Li
Video: Li Bohan
Editor: Deen He
