Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) held its first exchange journey to the Greater Bay Area (GBA) after the COVID-19 pandemic. Titled the “Katie Shu Sui Pui Charitable Trust – Outstanding Student Leaders Award for Belt and Road (B&R) / GBA Enterprise / Academic/ Culture Exploration Journey” (the Journey), the trip was successfully concluded yesterday (21 June). The 30 hand-picked outstanding students from different HKMU Schools, accompanied by HKMU President Prof. Paul Lam Kwan-sing and the journey's sponsor, HKMU Honorary Doctor and alumna, Dr Katie Shu Sui-pui, set off to Guangzhou last week on a four day, three-night trip.

In 2021, Dr Shu donated HK$20 million to the University to establish the “Katie Shu Sui Pui Endowment Fund”, which supports the University's research, academic and student development through nine initiatives, of which the “Outstanding Student Leaders Award for B&R / GBA Enterprise / Academic/ Culture Exploration Journey” was especially designed to explore the rapid development of cities on the B&R and in the GBA in recent years. Through academic and cultural exchange activities, the programme aims to enable students to learn about the latest developments in these cities and explore related career opportunities.

Prof. Lam said he believed that this trip to the GBA enabled the students to learn about the latest developments in the region and helped broaden their minds and horizons. “This trip inspired the students to think about how to make the best use of their professional strengths,” he said, “so that they can identify their own career positioning and development direction.” He thanked Dr Shu for her enthusiasm in supporting the whole-person development of her “mentees” and affirmed that the Journey would be conducive to the students' future development. He said he hoped that more opportunities would be provided for students to visit and develop careers in the GBA in the future.

Dr Shu said she was pleased by the success of the Journey and believed that students gained a better understanding of the huge development potential of the country and the rest of the GBA through first-hand experience. “I hope the Journey enriched the exposure of the students and will open up more possibilities for their future career development,” she added.

The participating students stated that the journey had enriched their learning experience and that the opportunities to visit technology companies and universities in Guangzhou and Shenzhen were invaluable. “I'm interested in the impact of China's reforms and opening up, and the effect of the GBA strategy and the B&R Initiative on the country's development, but I had never before had the opportunity to see for myself how the country had changed,” said Luk Chun-hin, a year one student in Politics and Public Administration in the School of Arts and Social Sciences. “This journey allowed me to better understand the rapid development of the country's economy and infrastructure.” He added that the Journey was rewarding, as it helped him broaden his horizons and establish a wider network, and also gave him a better understanding of himself and a clearer direction for his future development.

Over the tight, four-day itinerary, the students visited famous manufacturing and creative enterprises, and academic and cultural institutions in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, including GAC Group, DJI Innovation Technology Co. Ltd, Guangzhou TIT Creative Park and Sun Yat-sen University. In exchanges with representatives from local innovation and education institutions, the HKMU students and academic staff gained insights into the development and prospects of innovation and technology in the region, and explored opportunities for strengthening academic collaboration and exchange. The students also visited Guangzhou's unique attractions to experience the local culture.