8 June 2018 Dear alumni, CityU’s visionary leadership has positioned our faculty and students at the forefront of creative media and virtual reality technology. The launch of ARTS + iNNOVATION (A+i) at the CityU Chengdu Research Institute in May marked a significant milestone in realising our vision. The A+i building houses two centres that provide public space for applied research, training and incubation for creative media and digital society-related industries. I am delighted that CityU’s strengths in the arts and innovation have received strong support from the government of Sichuan Province and will transform A+i into a technology and innovation base in the region and the mainland. I am sure you will be pleased to know that our connections with Chengdu strengthened in May at the inauguration of the Chengdu alumni chapter that was set up by enthusiastic Chengdu alumni. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to meet up and share stories about CityU’s development with leaders and representatives from alumni chapters from Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen while I was in Chengdu for the launch of A+i. A+i spotlights how CityU regards the arts and science as mutually enhancing resources that enrich our creative professional education as well as emphasising research and innovation. Since its establishment, the CityU Exhibition Gallery has been organising cutting-edge, technology-rich exhibitions that promote the integration of science and art, and inspire innovation at CityU. The latest exhibition in collaboration with Le French May Arts Festival showcases an array of natural and artificial artefacts from 10 museums, galleries and private collections. The exhibition “Cabinets of Curiosities”reveals European collectors’ fascination with exotic animals, plants, minerals and art objects unknown in the West until a few hundred years ago. Alumni are welcome to visit the exhibition, which runs until 19 August. Staying with the arts, I was excited to learn that graduates Mr Billy Li Kwok-lam and Mr Henri Wong Chi-hang from the School of Creative Media (SCM) won the Best Art Direction Award for the film Our Time Will Come and the Best Visual Effects Award for Wukong, respectively, at the 37th Hong Kong Film Awards. I would like to offer my most sincere congratulations to both graduates, and my very best wishes to SCM for producing talented graduates who play key roles in the creative industries.
One final note, I would like to thank the CityU staff and students from the EMBA programme who participated in the recent Xuanzang Road Business School Gobi Challenge. I joined the 29.7-kilometre “experience day” trek. We battled poor road conditions under a scorching sun and biting sandstorms, a challenge that highlighted the vital role that solidarity and team spirit play in all our endeavours at CityU. Kudos to the CityU athletes who completed the 112-kilometre course through the Gobi Desert! Best regards, Way Kuo |
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