To further expand collaboration with top-tier Mainland universities, a delegation led by the members of the Council and senior management of Lingnan University visited Beijing from 27 to 29 May for meetings with the Ministry of Education and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), and also visited Tsinghua University and Peking University to foster new partnerships in higher education.
Aligning national education strategies to facilitate digital transformation
Mr Andrew Yao Cho-fai, Council Chairman of Lingnan University, and Prof S. Joe Qin, its President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science, led the delegation, and met with Dr Yang Dan, Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges and Director of the Office of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan Affairs of the Ministry of Education, and Ms Zhou Li, Deputy Director-General. The group described Lingnan University’s academic highlights and recent achievements in digital transformation, AI-empowered teaching, the cultivation of well-rounded liberal arts and sciences talents, and scientific innovation, and expressed their commitment to actively supporting the 2024-2035 master plan on building China into a leading country in education and the national digital education strategy initiative.
Prof S. Joe Qin also took three Vice-Presidents to visit the NSFC, where they held in-depth discussions with Mr Jiang Song, Vice President of National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) about strengthening collaboration between the Mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao, improving talent cultivation, and opening more foundation projects to Hong Kong and Macao. Lingnan University was selected as a Supporting Institution (Hong Kong and Macao) of the NSFC in January 2024, enabling its researchers to apply to the NSFC Young Scientists Fund (Categories A, B, and C) to increase research resources and academic development. In April 2025, Lingnan University hosted the The Expert Report on the Fifth National Assessment Report on Climate Change Hong Kong and Macao Special Report, compiled with the NSFC, demonstrating its role as an academic pioneer in sustainability and climate change, and addressing its strong sense of social responsibility.
Deepening Inter-University Collaboration: Direct Dialogues with Peking and Tsinghua Universities
During their visit to Peking University, the delegation met with Prof Gong Qihuang, President of Peking University; Prof Wang Bo, member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee, Vice President and Provost of Peking University; and Prof Jiang Guohua, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee of Peking University. They discussed their long history of teamwork through successful exchanges, such as student exchange programmes and the Lingnan-Yuanpei STEM Academy. The Lingnan-Yuanpei STEM Summer Academy, enthusiastically received by students from both universities, was held at Lingnan in June 2024, and will move to the Yuanpei College of Peking University this year. Last September, the two universities signed a Memorandum of Understanding, and Lingnan University joined the Digital Intelligence International Development Education Alliance (DI-IDEA) in November, which is led by Peking University to jointly promote the digital transformation of global higher education.
During the meeting, Lingnan’s representatives explained the University's vision of integrating arts and sciences, talent recruitment, and successful applications of AI to teaching, research, and administrative management. The two universities plan to complement each other’s strengths, particularly by leveraging Hong Kong’s geographical and institutional advantages, and agreed to cooperate in international talent cultivation and recruitment.
At Tsinghua University, the delegation visited the Schwarzman College and spoke with Mr Wang Yan, Vice Chairperson of the University Council of Tsinghua University, and Prof Yau Shing-tung, Director of the Yau Mathematical Sciences Center and Dean of Qiuzhen College of Tsinghua University, about cooperation in interdisciplinary and humanities-social sciences fields, as well as talent cultivation.
Integration into National Development, and making Hong Kong an Education Hub
Mr Andrew Yao Cho-fai said that the visit to Beijing had been most rewarding, enabling a deeper understanding of the latest national strategies in pedagogic development. He said “This visit has allowed us to grasp the new direction of national education development more accurately. Lingnan’s forward-looking structure in AI and data science preparation is in line with the scientific and technological development proposed in the 2024-2035 master plan on building China into a leading country in education, which stresses the importance of technological development. As an important member of Hong Kong's higher education sector, Lingnan University seeks to promote complementary advantages between Hong Kong and the Mainland, fully leveraging its unique support from the motherland and close connections to the whole world. The University aims to attract top scholars from all over, drive research innovation, and, through quality instruction, attract more Mainland and international students to Hong Kong. By transforming technological knowledge and research outcomes into industrial innovation, Lingnan can contribute to making Hong Kong an international hub for post-secondary education.”
Prof S. Joe Qin noted that “The visit highlighted Lingnan University’s latest developments and achievements, including our commitment to promoting interdisciplinary research and nurturing a new generation of scholars equipped with critical thinking and digital skills. The governing elements of Lingnan University feature four key concepts: the digital era, the integration of arts and sciences, research-oriented and liberal arts university. To this end, we are actively advancing the Lingnan-60 Global Talent Recruitment initiative, which aims to engage 60 world-class scholars by 2027 - the 60th anniversary of Lingnan’s re-establishment. As of this month, we have employed 26 leading scholars across diverse fields such as AI, data science, new materials research, carbon neutrality, and public administration.”
The delegation also visited the Hong Kong Hall in the Great Hall of the People. Other members of the group included Mr Augustine Wong Ho-ming, Deputy Chairman of the Council; Ms Katherine Cheung Marn-kay, Treasurer of the Council; Council Members Prof Raymond Chan Hon-fu, Vice-President (Academics) cum Provost, Mrs Angel Daley Mak Hing-fun, Mr Michael Hui Wah-kit, The Most Revd Dr Paul Kwong, Archbishop Emeritus, Mr Barry Law Lam-wai, Mr Sammy Leung Chung-sing, Ms Carrie Leung Ka-lai, Mr Clarence Ling Chun-kit, Mr Quincy Lui Kwan-yiu, Mr Alan Lung Ka-lun, Mr Michael Mok Man-too, Mr Anthony Ng Kwai-wah, Mr Wong Ivan Siu-kei, Mr Mason Wu Shang-tun, Mr Foster Yim Hong-cheuk; Staff Members of the Council Prof Chen Xi, Prof Lau Chi-pang, Prof Li Donghui, and Prof Paulina Wong Pui-yun; Student Members of the Council Mr Du Yike, and Mr Sun Hang; and Non-Council Members Prof Xin Yao, Vice-President (Research and Innovation), Mr Ernest Chan Chi-man, Vice-President (Administration), Prof Sam Kwong Tak-wu, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research), and Prof William Hayward, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences.
