CW Chu College The Chinese University of Hong Kong eNewsletter

The Third Executive Committee of the Residents' Association, Concordance, in office since November 2016, has organised a number of activities.

The Chinese New Year (CNY) Fiesta

Concordance organised a couple of celebratory activities before the 2017 Lunar New Year, to add to the festive spirit. The committee members hung up red lanterns, a traditional decoration for the Lunar New Year, outside every room in the College, and gave every resident a red packet containing candies, on which greetings were written. Calligraphy Writing and Dumpling Making, held on 18 and 19 January, added to the festive atmosphere, and enhanced cultural exchange with international students. Each activity attracted 20–30 participants. While writing their Lunar New Year greetings, the participants had traditional seasonal snacks. The students either put their own calligraphy works on their room door, or gave them to their friends to send their blessings; some even left the greetings on for the whole term! In the Dumpling Making activity, the participants made and ate their dumplings together. To make it more challenging, some even competed in making dumplings both for looks and for taste.

Song Dedication on Wednesdays

As a regular activity, Concordance hosted a song dedication session during the Communal Dinners on Wednesdays, and it was widely welcomed by the students. Students expressed, through their song requests, maybe the unwillingness to part with their friends, perhaps the anxiety about coming exams, or sometimes even simply the desire to listen to their favourite song... Concordance extended their warm wishes to the residents, by means of song dedications, on special occasions such as the Chinese New Year or the final exam period.

Dessert Nights

In order to inject relaxation and lighter moments into the midst of heavy academic workloads, Concordance organised two dessert nights in Term 2. The first, on 21 February, featured an Oreo cheesecake and a blueberry cheesecake that the Committee Members made and drew over 50 residents. The second, on 5 April, featured home-made mango puddings and white gourd tea drew some 30 residents.

Excursion to Sham Shui Po

Concordance organised a tour to an older urban area, to let participants sample local culture, natural scenery and unique architecture. Led by some Committee Members, the participants visited a few places in Shek Kip Mei and Sham Shui Po on 4 March, and got a taste of the authentic local culture. They visited Mei Ho House, one of the oldest public housing estates in Hong Kong with the now-rare H-shaped housing blocks, and Mei Ho House Museum, which, through a combination of donated exhibits and first-hand anecdotes from the former residents, showcases the public housing history between 1950s and 1970s. They then visited Nam Shan Estate, another public housing estate with a long history, and had some desserts in a small store there. The students ended the trip by walking up Garden Hill, enjoying the beautiful sunset while overlooking the hustle and bustle in Sham Shui Po.

Valentine's Day Activities

To create a romantic atmosphere in February 2017, Concordance organised a month-long event, Secret Angel and Devil, which attracted around 30 participants. They could choose to be either an Angel to care for their Masters, or a Devil to pull pranks, in both cases with undisclosed identities. All of the Angels and Devils did a perfect job throughout the month. Some Angels sent gifts such as chocolates, candies and heart-warming messages on notepaper to their Masters; some Devils got creative and played pranks on theirs, for example, putting up Photoshopped pictures of their Masters on their room doors. On the last day of the month, Concordance held a party for the Masters to meet their Angels and Devils, to uncover the secret identities. A mini chocolate fondue was served along with some light snacks. The participants took photos together with the props made by the Committee Members as a keepsake of this unforgettable experience.

CWC Singing Contest

Following the storyline of The Phantom of the Opera, Concordance held the annual singing contest with the theme 'The Phantom of CWC' at the Multi-purpose Hall on 15 March. It was an honour to have Prof Wai-Yee CHAN, College Master, and Mrs CHAN in the audience, and the prizewinners of an inter-school singing competition named Supernova, as the guest performers and judges that day. The contest consisted of two competitions, Solo and Group. This year, six solo contestants and three groups took part in the contest. Miss CHAN Victoria Nga Yee won the Solo Singing Competition and 'the Most Popular Singer Award'. 'The Edgeless', which was composed of Mr CHEUNG Hoi Wing Henry, Mr CHENG Tat Fan and Miss YEUNG Nga Man, won the Group Singing Competition.