Curriculum
117 related courses were offered in the 2024–25 academic year.
Policies
In order to protect its rich historical legacy and reduce disturbances to wildlife, CUHK has enforced regulations for contractors operating on its campus and set up environmental guidelines for construction sites. The University is dedicated to maintaining the ecological integrity of its grounds, and places significant emphasis on safeguarding its entire tree population. The University has developed the Tree Preservation Policy to strike a practical and attainable balance between preserving trees and developing campus infrastructure, and has introduced detailed Tree Preservation Guidelines to ensure the successful execution of the policy.
Research
‘Project Plum Grove’ sustainable rural revitalization project that emphasizes collaboration with stakeholders’, has been awarded the Research Project of the Year: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards Asia 2025. The project, led by Professor Thomas Chung, Associate Professor of the School of Architecture at CUHK, successfully revitalized the 360-year-old abandoned Hakka village of Mui Tsz Lam, providing a pioneering model for sustainable rural revitalization in Hong Kong and beyond. Centred on collaborative restoration, the project was carried out in two phases. One of the ruined structures was transformed into a community co-op named ‘Mui Tsz Lam Commons’, which now serves as CUHK’s education and research base. The success of the project marks a new chapter in university-village collaboration. During the past four years, the project has mobilized more than 250 returning villagers, volunteers, students, and NGO members, inspiring additional self-initiated restoration efforts and setting a new benchmark for sustainable placemaking practices.
Building for a safe and inclusive community
The CUHK School of Architecture’s ‘One University One Village’ (1U1V) team, which assisted construction in mountain villages in Kunming, China, has won the gold award in the humanitarian category and the distinguished title of Emerging Practice of the Year Grand Prix Winner at the World Architecture News Awards 2024. The project aimed to rebuild a community hall (gongfang) in Dahei New Village, located in the mountainous region near Kunming, which had been damaged by foundation settlement. The hall is an important public space for weddings, funerals, festivals and other ceremonies. CUHK’s 1U1V team adopted a ‘local technology, local materials, local labour’ design and construction approach to rebuild the hall, incorporating a spacious interior design that ensured comfort and safety for large gatherings. The design also included elements of natural lighting, ventilation and thermal mass, which significantly reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions. The team also trained local villagers to master the construction techniques, fostering their confidence. Judges of the awards praised the initiative for addressing the ‘love and belonging needs, esteem needs and self-actualization needs’ of the community, highlighting its profound social impact.
Protecting the world's cultural heritage
The Art Museum held the grand opening ceremony of the Lo Kwee Seong Pavilion and the Harold and Christina Lee Gallery on 21 March. The construction of the Art Museum’s new extension was made possible through generous donations from the Lo Kwee Seong Foundation and the family of Mr and Mrs Harold Lee. The gifts enabled the Art Museum to integrate art-making, curating and teaching, and to diversify and enrich the overall museum experience. The Lee Hysan Foundation has also generously donated HK$20 million to support the Art Museum’s art education initiatives, further benefiting the community at large.
A campus-wide celebration of the new Museum will feature a wide range of art and cultural programmes. The inaugural exhibition, ‘Transcending Transience: Art and Culture of Late-Ming Jiangnan’, is the fruit of a multi-year collaboration with the Shanghai Museum. It features 193 precious art objects sourced from prominent local and international collections, including nine grade-one national treasures making their debut in Hong Kong. These paintings, calligraphy works and antiquities reveal the texture of life in the Jiangnan region during the late-Ming period.
Promoting the sustainable cities and communities
To offer secondary school students a comprehensive understanding of sustainable cities and communities, the Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development Office launched the ‘Design Thinking Summer 2024: Developing a Sustainable Community’ training programme. 28 students from 7 secondary schools participated in this 3-month programme. After a series of workshops and training, the participants completed the challenge, promoting the messages of Sustainable Development Goal 10 ‘Reduced Inequality’ and Goal 11 ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities’ in their respective schools and communities. They conceptualized and filmed Reels videos, implemented promotional plans within their schools, designed and led community tours, participated in CUHK’s online public exhibition, and delivered a presentation. Each of the participants were presented with Sustainable Development Leader Certificates in the Award Ceremony.
