New Asia College The Chinese University of Hong Kong eNewsletter

The Second Talk of the "New Asia College Cultural Talks", jointly organised by New Asia College and the New Asia College Alumni Association and co-organised by New Asia Middle School, was held at the School Hall of New Asia Middle School on 11 January 2020, with Professor Edward Ng Yan-yung of the School of Architecture of the Chinese University of Hong Kong as our speaker. The talk was titled "We work to give life back its dignity", and was moderated by trustee of New Asia College Mr. Wong Ho-chiu. The lecture was very well received by the public and art enthusiasts.

At the talk, Professor Ng talked about a bridge construction project named “A Bridge Too Far: a Dream Come True”. In 2005, Professor Ng led a group of students to build a bridge called “Wu Zhi Qiao” (bridge without end) at Maosi, a village in a remote area of Gansu Province. “Wu Zhi Qiao”, which met safety and environmental standards, protected over 1,500 villagers from the threat of flooding and enabled students to go to school without risking their safety. Professor Ng showed the audience many photos and videos taken during the bridge building process, and detailed the difficulties and challenges encountered. He also described how the volunteers worked closely with the villagers, and related the organisation and implementation of “One University One Village” project, which aimed at imparting knowledge of building materials and techniques to local villagers, thereby enabling them to maintain and conserve the facilities in their villages themselves.

Participants were fascinated by Professor Ng’s sharing on the “Wu Zhi Qiao” project, and they immersed themselves in fruitful discussions with the speaker at the Q&A session.