Jade Newman, UK, Year 1

Why did you decide to come to CCS?

I studied maths, further maths and Chinese at A level. Although I originally planned to study maths in England, when the suggestion arose to study in Hong Kong, I fell in love with the idea. I had always wanted to travel and explore different cultures and to me, this was the perfect way to do it.

How are you finding Hong Kong so far?

The decision to move here was a huge risk as I had never previously lived in or visited Hong Kong. So far, I have been nothing but amazed at the beauty of the architecture and the stunning views, all the wonderful and different local foods, the vast range of shops and just how convenient it is to live here.

Have you ever been to China before?

Previously I had only ever visited China once on a brief school trip to Beijing. It was there that I visited the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and a large range of tourist attractions. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and when I returned to England, I immediately missed what I had experienced.

Do you expect that CCS will change your perspectives and understanding of China?

I studied Chinese history before in my A level class but within the few weeks of classes I have had so far, I have already discovered so many new things I never knew before. I would definitely say that Chinese studies changes your perspective and understanding of China. I think what I most enjoy about Chinese studies is the vast range of topics. It is not just about the history but also religion, literature, politics, and many other aspects which all tie in together. I also feel very fortunate to be able to attend lectures from widely revered professors and to listen to all the knowledge and experiences that they have to share.

Have you been able to connect and make friends with this online method of teaching?

Through the ‘CUHK ISA International Freshmen 2020’ ‘Facebook’ group, we created a WhatsApp group and from there all started speaking to one another. Some people then proceeded to form smaller groups of people in the same classes, or the same college or even just with the same interests. I was also contacted by people over Instagram due to the ‘cuhkclassof2020’ Instagram page where we could introduce ourselves. I found this very helpful in making friends. It also made the transition a lot easier as I already knew people, through online social platforms, who were on campus so did not feel alone when I arrived. If you are not already part of these groups or pages I would highly recommend getting involved!

What are you most looking forward to when students can return to campus?

When students are able to return to campus, I am most looking forward to getting to meet all these new brilliant people that I have only been able to speak to online. One thing that I think everyone can sympathise with is that we have not been able to fully experience ‘life as a freshman’ like everybody else has in the past. I feel like it will bring a greater sense of community and actually quite an emotional experience. After speaking online to each other for months, we will finally all get to meet and enjoy CUHK life together.

Haochen Kenny Wang, China, Year 1

Can you tell us about yourself?

Sure! My name is Haochen Wang and I also go by “Kenny,” I’m a transfer student to the CCS department. I’m originally from Shenzhen City right across the border to Hong Kong. Previously I was studying at the University of Iowa in the United States and Meiji University in Japan for two and a half years. I chose to do Chinese Studies in CUHK because not only was it close to my home in Shenzhen, but I was personally attracted by the academic opportunities and the resources available here that are outstanding among Asian institutions.

Sounds like you have spent a lot of time abroad. What's your experience in those places and what led you to CUHK?

Indeed I’ve had a very long journey, but I’m really happy about what I ended up with, those experiences and friendships along the way meant a lot to me as well. What’s fascinating about studying in different places is you get these chances to appreciate different humanities and beauties. People across the globe tend to have diverse cultural representations and perspectives on things- that applies to even things that we’ve taken for granted on a daily basis. As I was in America, I started to develop an interest in humanities across East Asia- I know this might sound a bit weird for a Chinese student to do “Asian Studies” in America, but I found it rather intriguing as it presents a new perspective for familiar things. Anyway, I caught traces of our program from Dr. Tim Summers' interview -right when I was considering my options for university transfer- so I’ve decided to give it a try at the CCS.

How do you feel about the study environment at CUHK/CCS, are they different from your previous institutions?

I feel that CCS courses are mostly discussion-based and require a certain amount of readings. Generally speaking, the instructors here are truly experts in Chinese Studies areas - so aside from assigning reading materials, they would organize many discussions and try to guide us through opinion exchanges toward a right conclusion. Oh and even it’s only my first semester at CUHK, but I found many courses here that asked students to conduct group presentations. From my own experience, it is a bit uncommon for Asian institutions, let's say, Japanese universities to ask freshmen students to go straight ahead conducting presentations at a 1000-level course. But it’s perhaps different across various institutions.

What kind of opportunities are you hoping to explore through the CCS programme?

I’m thinking about making good use of the opportunities in our CCS department and applying for some academic exchange in the future semesters. We have some really great resources and connections in both mainland China and around the world. I’m currently considering the possibility of going on an exchange again at an institution in the Greater China region- but that’d be something to worry about after the pandemic settles down. (smile)