Summer Field Trip to Shanghai
On 14 May 2019, a group of CCS undergraduate students led by Professor Gao Yunwen took an overnight high-speed train and began their summer fieldtrip. During the nine-day trip, the group participated in a number of talks, discussions, and visits with local officials, scholars and students. The group was also received by the Shanghai Youth Administration Cadre College (上海青年管理干部学院), an institute designed to train young administrative cadres for the Shanghai government. Throughout the trip, students undertook activities designed to facilitate their study of Chinese culture and society in the Yangtze River Delta using an interdisciplinary approach.

        The students visited a number of important sites which enhanced their knowledge of Shanghai's rich history and illustrated the important economic hub's transformation in the Reform era. On 16 May, the group visited the Shanghai Urban History and Development Center in People's Square. The next day, a coach took the students from Shanghai to Suzhou, where they glimpsed Chinese traditional garden culture with a visit to the Zhuozheng Garden. On 18 May, the group made a trip to the First Party Congress Site, where the very first National Congress of the Communist Party of China took place in July 1921. In the afternoon, the group visited the Puppet Theater and took in tea house entertainment. This exploration of Chinese entertainment continued with a visit to Hengdian World Studios, where costume dramas and films such as Forbidden Kingdom were filmed. Students were able to conduct interviews with fans and amateur actors and actresses on site. The packed, eventful trip closed with a concluding discussion in the Shanghai Youth Administration Cadre College, where students summarized their observations from the nine days of fieldwork.

Orientation
On 30 and 31 August, the Centre for China Studies welcomed 32 undergraduate and 67 MA students to the university. In their welcoming addresses, the CCS Director and Associate Director, Professor David Faure and Professor Jan Kiely, encouraged students to make good use of their fleeting time in CUHK to deepen their understanding of themselves and the community. Academic staff introduced themselves and offered suggestions to help the new cohort with their studies in and out of the classroom. Once the formal sessions were finished, the new students, along with alumni and the faculty, headed to a relaxed lunch reception to get better acquainted.

MA Site Visits
Students enrolled in Hong Kong and Mainland China: Interaction and Integration learned first-hand that at CCS, learning is not confined to the classroom. As an introduction to the sociopolitical situation gripping Hong Kong in the fall of 2019, course teacher Dr. Leung Kai Chi and his students travelled to Tai Po on 4 September to visit the famous "Lennon Tunnel". The largest of many Lennon Walls that sprouted across Hong Kong in the summer of 2019, inspired by the collection of post-it notes and messages that formed outside government headquarters in 2014, the Tai Po Lennon Tunnel spanned a series of underground tunnels near the Tai Po Market MTR Station. In addition to sampling the variety of thoughts and views expressed in flyers, posters, and post-it notes, the students also had the opportunity to chat with local volunteers.

On a guided walking tour of Central and Sheung Wan on 31 October, Dr. Leung and his students explored remnants, architectural and communal, of Hong Kong's colonial past. They saw that even as a colony, Hong Kong was never politically or economically severed from mainland China. The close ties between the two places and its peoples changed the developmental trajectories of mainland China and its "window to the world." The next day, the group also visited the June 4^th Museum in Mong Kok to learn about the protest movement and crackdown that dramatically impacted contemporary Hong Kong-China relations and shaped the formation of local identity.

Devil's Peak Hike
Students who hiked Devil's Peak with Dr. Leung Kai Chi on 21 September enjoyed not only the beautiful views, but also met students from the School of Journalism and Communication and learnt more about Hong Kong's history as a British Colony. The group started the brief hike from Yau Tong Station, and took an hour or so to reach the top of Devil's Peak. Along the way, students discussed political issues with Dr. Leung, including his opinions on the current protest movement in Hong Kong. Upon finishing the hike in Tseung Kwan O, many students grabbed tea together to end the day on a refreshing note.

Pizza Event
On 6 November, the Student Association of Chinese Studies organized a pizza event for all undergraduate students in the CCS. Students in Years 3 and 4 shared their experiences going on exchange programmes and selecting classes with Year 1 and 2 students. Conversations with seniors offered wonderful opportunities for younger students to learn about CCS and better plan for their four-year study at CUHK.