Prof. Joseph Sung, Vice-Chancellor of CUHK, officiated at the Ceremony with Prof. Zhang Donggang, Deputy Director-General, Department of Social Science of MOE, Prof. Huang Daren, President of SYSU, Dr. Luo Yuanfang, Deputy Director-General, Department of Education of Guangdong Provincial People's Government and Mr. Mo Jinqiang, Deputy Director-General, Education, Science and Technology Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in HKSAR.

In his opening remarks, Prof. Sung stated that the establishment of the Centre signified a deeper collaboration between Hong Kong and Guangdong, which also keeps with the innovative aspirations in research collaboration pertaining to the framework for development of Pearl River Delta Region and the Long-term Education Reform and Development Plan promulgated by MOE.

Scholars from the Centre for Historical Anthropology of SYSU and History Department of CUHK have been collaborating closely for the past 20 years in promoting the development of historical anthropology in traditional Chinese society. Riding on such strengths, CUHK – SYSU Centre for Historical Anthropology is established to further enhance the partnership of CUHK and SYSU.

The Centre has appointed Prof. David Faure, Wei Lun Professor of History and world-renowned scholar of history in Chinese economics and commerce, as the director of the centre. Prof. Faure is also the central PI of the Historical Anthropology of Chinese Society project, an Area of Excellence (AoE) project approved by the University Grants Committee. This is the first time AoE has allocated funding to a Humanity and Social Sciences project. Prof. Faure expressed that apart from the AoE project, the Centre will focus on the study in relevant theory and methodology of historical anthropology.