Tong Yuxuan

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your background.

I’m an MA student in the Chinese Arts and Culture stream. I pursed my BA at the School of Journalism and Communication in Tsinghua University (Beijing) and studied at National Chengchi University (Taiwan) as an exchange student during my senior year. I decided to come to Hong Kong and CUHK because I was drawn to the MA programme at CCS. When I was applying to postgraduate programmes, I studied the Centre website and the course syllabi. I liked the interdisciplinary nature of the programme because I thought it would help me solidify my knowledge. Also, since I wish to report stories and news about China when I become a journalist, a Chinese Studies programme seemed to suit me well. That is the reason why I chose to come to CCS instead of joining a journalism programme at another school in Hong Kong.

How are you doing at the moment? How are you coping with the current situation and can you share how your learning experience is affected?

I’m working on my mid-term essay in Beijing at the moment. In light of COVID-19, all classes are now conducted online through Zoom, which I don’t mind too much. I like the fact that using Zoom allows me more time and space to process my thoughts, so I feel more confident when I participate in class. Although we can’t see each other face to face, I think classes are still inspiring and full of vigor, as usual. 

My learning experience is not very heavily affected. But it is indeed a pity I can’t have access to books at CUHK library due to the pandemic. I would really like to have the full text of a book for my literature class, since I will be giving a presentation and I only have excerpts of it at the moment. But the library is closed. So I am looking online instead.

Do you have any special memories from your time at CCS?

I stayed on the campus for only three months due to the political unrest in Hong Kong as well as the unprecedented COVID-19. However, the period at CCS was an enjoyable peak of my student life.

We appreciated works by lesser-known Hong Kong writers, explored the golden age of Hong Kong films, discussed civil society and public sphere during class. I also spent a lot of time hanging out with friends at dusk. I’ll miss the lighthearted life at CCS.

Of course, I do not always feel at ease when I venture out of my comfort zone and become exposed to different or even conflicting ideas. It’s an unusual and challenging year for Hong Kong as well as for me, a student who is new to studying and exploring in the city. When I see friends from the mainland and Hong Kong holding different opinions and believing in conflicting information, as a student who majored in journalism, I have the urge to find out the “truth” but feel trapped in a “post-truth” era. I was really inspired by the research colloquium hosted by Ms. Zhang Jieping, the former chief editor of Initium, last term. Her reminder to the audience about how information can be wielded to stir emotions was very timely. So rather than panic about different opinions around me, I try to remain open-minded and appreciate the different voices in Hong Kong. I also come to value the process of searching for “truth” even more, as it enables me to touch on social issues from different angles and to reflect on preconceived ideas in my mind. 

Which class and teacher is the most memorable to you and why?

The course Selected Themes on Gender in China: Prostitution and Chinese Modernity, taught by Prof. Yau Ching, is the most memorable one to me. During the first lecture, Prof. Yau warned us that hers would be a very challenging and harsh course, therefore only six students opted to stay after her “warning.” 

As a result, each of us had to give more than one presentation; we also had more opportunities to participate in discussions and inspire each other. We examined various primary materials, including newspapers, Mosquito Press articles, fiction, poetry and films, which was a lot of fun and provided me with the means to explore the representation of prostitution, as well as other issues. I enjoy being exposed to new inspiring perspectives and unfamiliar historical reality in this course.

After graduation, do you plan to work or pursue further studies?

I hope to be a journalist and focus on cultural news or feature writing after graduation. I haven’t applied for jobs since I’m still looking for internship opportunities. Ideally, I would really like to stay in Hong Kong and work in the newsroom of Initium since I want to observe how a newsroom works and I like that Initium covers a broad spectrum of issues. I hope to gain experience by covering local news as a junior reporter and when I get to a more senior position, I want to write feature stories about Chinese culture and society.

Do you have any messages for your fellow students and/ or teachers?

Our fellow students always joke that the time of meeting in the classroom was so short (only three months!) that we’re more like cyber-friends rather than classmates. Even so, I learned a lot from my excellent fellow classmates coming from diverse backgrounds and received a lot of help from our considerate and conscientious Teaching Assistants and staff at CCS. I also thank our knowledgeable teachers for the enlightening courses, which demonstrated the value of culture and the power of ideas.

Yusuke Yamagami

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your background.

Hi, my name is Yusuke Yamagami. I was born in Japan, but I grew up in the United States and I was there until I returned to Japan for my undergraduate studies at the International Christian University in Tokyo, where I majored in Economics. I had the opportunity to do an exchange abroad at the University of Hong Kong during my third year as an undergrad, where I became attracted to Hong Kong and its unique culture. My time in Hong Kong made me interested in studying about China as well, which led me to study the Chinese economy for my undergraduate thesis upon return to Japan. From there, I decided to further develop my understanding about China in the Chinese Studies programme at CUHK.

How are you doing at the moment? Where are you and how are you coping with the current situation?

Life has been rather chaotic with the ongoing situation, but I am currently back in Japan with my parents and I am healthy and safe here for now. Personally, I would have preferred to stay in Hong Kong, but as my parents were deeply concerned for my health and safety, I decided to leave Hong Kong at the end of January.

Specifically, can you share how the special situation with the pandemic affected your learning experience?

Thanks to the efforts of our professors and teaching assistants, the online learning experience through Zoom has generally been positive. Nonetheless, not being able to study in a physical classroom environment together with professors and my classmates makes the experience drastically different. I miss interacting with teachers and friends face-to-face, as we would communicate not only about courses but also about non-academic matters in our lives. As I am practicing social distancing and am generally indoors, I often find myself having difficulty focusing during online lectures, but I am trying my best. I try to keep up my motivation by messaging classmates who are in the same position and we encourage each other.

Do you have any special memories from your time at CCS?

Although we really only had a total of about three months of classes on campus, I really enjoyed the time I had together with people in this MA programme! I particularly enjoyed the class dinner that we had before the pandemic situation ensued, where I had an opportunity to socialize with most of my classmates, along with Dr. Summers. It was a refreshing change to be out of the academic setting and wind down with a few drinks. I hope that we would have opportunities to gather like this again in the near future, once the pandemic situation subsides.

Which class/teacher is the most memorable to you and why?

I have been enjoying all of my courses, but I particularly enjoyed the Hong Kong and Mainland China: Interaction and Integration course taught by Dr. Leung. It could not have been any more relevant to current events in Hong Kong and I learned so much about Hong Kong’s history and the sequence of events that led to the ongoing protests.

The most memorable part of the course for me was learning about Hong Kong’s political system. It helped me to understand the struggle that Hong Kong is going through and I was able to explain matters in a clearer way to my friends in Japan when I came back. My interest in learning more about greater China and Asia can all be traced back to my love for Hong Kong and I am glad to have had the opportunity to learn more about the place where it all began. If possible, I would like to learn even more in-depth about the societal and cultural aspects of Hong Kong in Dr. Leung’s course, especially issues concerning Hong Kong identity.

After graduation, do you plan to work or pursue further studies? What have you done so far for your plans?

I had originally intended to job hunt in Hong Kong, but given the current situation and the fact that I am not physically in Hong Kong, I have found that this may be rather difficult. I applied to an internship in the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Tokyo) through CUHK, but since that is an overseas programme, it got cancelled due to the pandemic. I am currently looking at opportunities to work in fields where I can utilize the knowledge I have gained through my studies of economics and Chinese studies, perhaps in foreign affairs or think tanks. I am also looking to return to academia at some point down the road when I find a specific topic, probably related to East-Asian relations, that I would like to research in depth. I do not have any definitive plans after graduation at this point yet.

Do you have any messages for your fellow students and/or teachers?

To all of the faculty in CCS, thank you so much for supporting all of us during this difficult time and for providing us with the best educational environment despite the limited conditions. I am also thankful to all of the great friends I have made through this programme. It is indeed a difficult time for all of us but let us stay strong and continue to do the best we can. I wish the best to all of you and your future endeavors! I hope to be able to see all of you again in Hong Kong (or wherever else we may meet) soon.