Hon Chan Yung, SBS, BBS, JP
Graduate, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Honorary Fellow, CityUHK
Convenor of HKSAR deputies to the National People’s Congress
Legislative Council member
“Great virtue is like water.”
Coming from a grassroots family, Brave Chan Yung went through a lot of hardships and developed perseverance through challenges. Grateful for the help of social workers, he aspired to become a social worker and enrolled in the first full-time Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) Programme offered by CityUHK. As Brave was interested in news and current affairs from a young age, he actively participated in public and community service after graduation and embarked on a political career to serve the community.
Brave has served in various roles in the community. In addition to being a current member of the Legislative Council, he is the convenor of HKSAR deputies to the National People’s Congress, a Justice of the Peace (JP), and a member of the ICAC’s Advisory Committee on Corruption, among other roles. Over the years, Brave has been a staunch supporter of his alma mater, making good use of his professional knowledge and connections, serving as a member of the Court at CityUHK, a member of the Departmental Advisory Committee of the Department of Applied Social Studies (renamed the Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences), Vice-Chairman of the senior Alumni Association and the CityUHK Eminence Society, and Convenor of the Alumni Ambassador Scheme Advisory Committee, among other roles. In 2023, he was conferred the title of Honorary Fellow by CityUHK for his contributions to the development of, and service to, the University and the community.
Brave is grateful for his education at CityUHK, saying it emphasised both theory and practice, laying a solid foundation for his personal and career development and turning his interests into a career. He also expressed his gratitude to one of his mentors, Mr. Chan Wing-tai, a strong advocate of general education, who nurtured students to become social workers with wide-ranging skills. As our society is changing rapidly, in addition to staying focused on developing one’s strengths, we need to master a variety of skills, he says. This allows us to become versatile specialists with the convergence of multi-dimensional skills to enhance our competitiveness.
Citing the social work programme as an example, Brave said students can explore knowledge in different disciplines, such as psychology and administrative management. After joining the workforce, he pursued further studies to broaden his knowledge and accumulated experience to implement this knowledge. His interdisciplinary knowledge and skills have allowed him to work with a wide range of parties and overcome challenges with resilience to contribute his best in the political arena.
This experience has enabled him to develop well-rounded abilities that can benefit him for a lifetime. Brave said that the professional and emotional intelligence training provided in the social work programme helped him understand his personality traits, enhanced his ability to cope with adversity, and helped him become resilient and develop perseverance for the benefit of his political career. With deep reflection on, and profound experience with, the principles of social work — “helping people to help themselves” and “helping oneself to help others” — Brave said studying and practising social work has not only helped others but also benefited him. He has achieved personal growth by helping himself provide better support for others, thereby motivating them to be self-reliant. This spirit and goal of self and mutual help create a virtuous circle, which will continue to promote personal growth and social development.
Brave developed a strong attachment to his teachers and classmates at CityUHK and has stayed in contact with them since graduation. As graduates of the first cohort of the full-time Bachelor of Social Work Programme at CityUHK, Brave and his 180 classmates did not have any previous experience of their predecessors or any precedent to draw on. Fortunately, their teachers generously shared their knowledge and experience with them and assisted them with job hunting. Even after Brave and his classmates graduated, their teachers continued to share their concerns and give them advice. They are as much friends as teachers. In return, Brave and his classmates have strived for their best and taken the lead to set examples for younger mentees. They responded proactively to a mentorship programme launched by the then Department of Applied Social Studies to share their work and life experience with the mentees.
“Great virtue is like water” has been Brave’s motto. As water takes on many forms, it can adapt effortlessly to any environment no matter what the obstacles. Similarly, life is often full of ups and downs, so we need to be humble and approach challenges with an accommodating mind to embrace differences and changes, take appropriate measures in response to the changing environment and keep growing. Little drops of water make the mighty ocean. Brave also likens CityUHK students to water, as they are numerous, highly adaptable and full of potential. He tells his juniors that as long as they persevere, they will surely succeed and he encourages them to make a concerted effort for the betterment of society.
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