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20 January 2020 Dear Alumni of CityU, Out with the old and in with the new, with the warmest of wishes. Thank you everyone for your continuing care and support for the University! Eleven years ago, I enthusiastically supported setting up the Elder Academy at CityU. On 22 August 2019, when a high tide of social unrest hit Hong Kong, we celebrated the Academy’s 10th anniversary. The event was attended by more than 200 people. In my welcoming address, I quoted some Yuan dynasty verse that illustrates the close relationship between young people and elders: “Hills do make a better scene; when some Clouds gather. The Hills an artwork then become, when the Clouds then scatter. Thus amidst the Clouds; The Hills change their light. Thus around the Hills; the Clouds gain their height”. The interdependence of the clouds and hills can be a useful reminder to Hong Kong people as well: The hills change their look according to the existence of clouds. Because the hills exist, we sometimes sense high clouds and at other times low clouds. People from all generations, of different capabilities, from everywhere or with different political positions should respect and learn from each other. The social unrest that has spread to university campuses over the past few months has created unprecedented pressures. In addition to the far-reaching and intangible impact on higher education, the University needs to handle the loss of faculty and students and deploy resources to repair damaged facilities. The restoration costs could run into millions and millions of Hong Kong dollars. It is never easy to start from scratch and it is difficult to maintain what has been achieved, and see it destroyed in seconds. While the restoration is a time- and money-consuming process, healing the soul takes even longer and needs the full support of everyone in our community. For the past seven months, I have been deeply worried about the safety and well-being of our colleagues and students. That’s why I have greatly reduced and even cancelled my business trips and annual leave so that I could lead our responses. I visited the siege at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) on two occasions. On 21 November, I entered the PolyU campus and tried to alleviate the anxiety of CityU students inside its campus. Thanks to the staunch efforts, prompt arrangements and proper handling of our University team, the impact of the social unrest on CityU, including campus damage and conflict among different groups, has been relatively small among local universities. The unrest seems to have slowed down, but a great deal remains to be done. Our Emergency Response Unit (ERU) continues to coordinate all units to ensure the smoothness of the new semester. We should acknowledge that while there are specialists for different professions, regardless of their ability, everyone can contribute to society in a meaningful way and should get due recognition. Universities are sacred places for seeking the truth, for learning, and for education and research. Young people’s energy drives social advancement. Only by cherishing diversity can we find the solution to ending the social unrest that has plagued us for more than six months and thus resume a safe and nurturing environment for learning.
Just as scholarship excites bubbling springs in the desert lands, May I take this opportunity to thank once again staff, students and alumni for their support and understanding during this difficult period. I would also like to call on everyone to work together to safeguard academic autonomy and safety so that our campus can be peaceful again and we can soon continue our learning, teaching and research activities as well as our international exchanges (video link). Wishing you a peaceful New Year! Way Kuo |
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