Professor Way Kuo, CityU President, said in his welcoming address that CityU advocated “excellence in both academics and sports”, encouraging students to “immerse themselves in arts”.

He urged high-flying students to equip themselves not only with mathematical knowledge but also athletics and music skills, noting that Confucius had defined the Six Arts as rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy and arithmetic.

“Encouraging our students’ all-round development is one of the reasons CityU leads in international academic rankings. I hope all of you fly with the rhythms tonight,” he said, noting that the festival, now in its seventh year, was a great a platform for showcasing our students’ gifts in different kinds of arts.

Professor Kuo also joked that current international rankings didn’t reflect fully CityU’s true strengths since our campus includes highly innovative scientists and an Olympic bronze medalist as well as virtuosity in music and the arts.

 

After the orchestra had completed its programme, Mr Wang’s ensemble answered requests from the enthusiastic audience and improvised the song Perfect by British pop singer Ed Sheeran. Following that, the CityU Philharmonic Orchestra and pianist Ms Shelley Ng performed deeply moving pieces by Chopin.

Guests attending the opening ceremony included Professor Raymond Chan Hon-fu, Vice-President (Student Affairs); Professor Henry Chung Shu-hung, Dean of Students; Dr Tim Wong Chi-tim, Director of Student Development Services; Professor Thomas Ng Shiu-tong, Head of the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering; Dr Wesley Curtis, Head of the Chan Feng Men-ling Chan Shuk-lin Language Centre, and Professor Jane Lu Wenzhen, Head of the Department of Management.