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In collaboration with the Sixth Patriarch Monastery in Guangdong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has recently established the new Center for the Study of Chan Buddhism and Human Civilization. The inauguration ceremony of the center was held on 13 February 2015. Participated by over 100 distinguished guests, the ceremony was officiated by Mr Xie Weimin, Inspector of the Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Ms Zheng Haiyan, Director of the Coordination Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, and Ms Florence Hui, Under Secretary for Home Affairs of the HKSAR Government.

Through its Executive Committee of Buddhist Studies, the Sixth Patriarch Monastery has generously pledged a donation of HK$12.5 million in support of the establishment of the center. The donation will be used to recruit faculty members, conduct academic research, organize cultural activities, and support outstanding candidates to pursue postgraduate education in related fields. The newly established center aims to promote Buddhist studies, with a particular focus on Chan Buddhism, through organizing a wide range of academic and cultural activities, strengthening the collaboration with overseas academic partners, and nurturing talents in Buddhist education and research. 

Under the leadership of Ven. Da Yuan, the Sixth Patriarch Monastery has been putting extensive effort in promoting Chinese culture and virtues, as well as Buddhist studies and education. The Monastery has also established close rapport with many institutions in mainland China, such as Wuhan University and Jinan University. In partnership with CUHK, the Monastery aims to promote Buddhist education through a more systematic and internationalized approach. To realize the mission of promoting Chinese culture to a wider public around the world, the center will pursue interdisciplinary collaboration with the experts and professionals in Management, Psychology, Humanities and Philosophy. 

With the objective to strengthen the collaboration on Buddhist education and research, the Center for the Study of Chan Buddhism and Human Civilization has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies. A large-scale international academic symposium will be jointly organized by the two centers in October this year. The center is also planning to collaborate with world renowned Business Schools to organize courses on Chan Buddhism and Corporate Management.

Biomedical engineering technologies are pushing forward the advancement of clinical care and benefiting patients at large. To facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration between the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has recently established the Chow Yuk Ho Technology Centre for Innovative Medicine (the Centre). The opening ceremony was held today (30 January), officiated by Ms. Therese P.F. Chow, Solicitor, Notary Public and China Appointed Attesting Officer; Miss Janet Wong, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology; Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung, Vice-Chancellor and President, CUHK; Prof. Fanny M.C. Cheung and Prof. T.F. Fok, Pro-Vice-Chancellors and Vice-Presidents, CUHK; Prof. Francis K.L. Chan, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, CUHK; Prof. Irwin K.C. King, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, CUHK; and Prof. Philip W.Y. Chiu, Director of the Chow Yuk Ho Technology Centre for Innovative Medicine, CUHK. Over 100 guests from the medical and engineering fields were present.

Several outcomes of revolutionary research by the Faculty of Medicine have been put into clinical practice to improve care for patients. For example, the “Eagle Claw”, an endoscopic suturing device capable of performing suture plication inside the gastrointestinal lumen, can reduce surgical risk induced by invasive surgical procedure; and the diagnostic services for fetal Down syndrome based on the technology of non-invasive prenatal diagnosis using the plasma of pregnant women have been available in the US, Europe, mainland China and many other regions around the world since 2011. 

To further sustain innovative research in biomedical engineering focusing on clinical application, the Centre serves as a platform for engineers and clinicians from the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Medicine to encourage academic exchange and collaboration. 

In his welcome address, Prof. Joseph JY Sung stated, “CUHK has leading strengths in the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Medicine, with strong track records in biomedical engineering as well as clinical researches. Through interdisciplinary collaboration between the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Medicine, the Chow Yuk Ho Technology Centre for Innovative Medicine aims to serve as a platform for engineers and clinicians to work together in enhancing knowledge transfer of innovative technologies into clinical practice for the benefit of our patients. ” 

Miss Janet Wong agreed the establishment of the Centre is a brave and much needed move, “Convergence and cooperation of different scientific disciplines have become far more critical than ever before to generate innovation and transform the scenes of new technology development and medical practices - a philosophy much agreed by the Hong Kong Government.” 

“The Centre focuses on three research areas in biomedical engineering – Robotics, Imaging and Biosensing, including nano-robotics, innovative neuro-imaging and non-invasive medical monitoring,” Prof. Philip W.Y. Chiu further elaborated, “We aim to transfer various innovative technologies into clinical equipment and practice, so as to enable a more effective and up-to-date treatment for patients in need.” 

The establishment of the Centre is made possible by the generous donation from Ms Therese P.F. Chow, in memory of her father, Mr. Chow Yuk Ho, his philanthropic efforts and in recognition of the contributions and achievement in medical sciences and academic development of Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung. 

At the initial stage, the Centre consists of a basic research laboratory and an animal research laboratory to facilitate important basic researches between the two Faculties, as well as preclinical experiments and tests. For more information about the Centre, please e-mail to tcim@cuhk.edu.hk.

The Art Museum has been honoured to receive two major donations: one from the family of Lui Shou-kwan, acclaimed Hong Kong artist of the twentieth century, for 28 of Lui's paintings, and another from the 2014 global Art Conservation Project funded by Bank of America Merrill Lynch. The media briefing was held on 29 January 2015 at the Art Museum. The monetary donation will be used to conserve the masterpieces.

Lui Shou-kwan (1919–75), one of the representative figures in the modern history of Hong Kong art, was a leading advocate of the new ink painting movement from the 1960s to the 1970s. He was recognised for blending Western abstract art with traditional Chinese painting, and striving to revitalise Chinese ink painting.

In 2013, the Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), joined forces with the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, Oxford University, for the exhibition 'Two masters, two generations and one vision for modern Chinese painting'. This popular exhibition led to a donation of two paintings by Lui Shou-kwan from the Friends of the Art Museum in March 2014. This time, Lui's family has shown incredible generosity by donating 28 of his works. The Art Museum is honoured to be entrusted with these important paintings by the artist's family.

Created between 1967 and 1972, most of the works donated by Lui's family are exemplary paintings that he painstakingly prepared for his students on the ink painting course in the Department of Extramural Studies, CUHK. It is especially meaningful that the university will be the paintings' long-term custodian. Professor Joseph Sung, Vice-Chancellor of CUHK, notes that 'It is important to point out that CUHK can preserve this body of works for many generations to come'. This group of paintings not only attests to Lui's profound understanding of the Chinese tradition, it also constitutes primary research data that offer new insights into Lui's artistic practice.

Thanks to Bank of America Merrill Lynch's global Art Conservation Project, a generous donation has been made to the Art Museum, CUHK, for the restoration of Lui Shou-kwan's paintings. This enables their long-term preservation. The works will be put on display in a special exhibition in 2016, on completion of the conservation project.

(Source: Institute of Chinese Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong)