Media

HKU weekly notice (from January 4 to 10, 2014)

03 Jan 2014

 

HKU to release 2014 First Quarter Hong Kong Macroeconomic Forecast
A press conference is scheduled on January 9, 2014 (Thursday) to announce the "Hong Kong Macroeconomic Forecast", supplying headline macroeconomic indicators for Hong Kong's economy in the first quarter of 2014.

Sponsored by the Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), the forecasting project is managed and prepared by the APEC Studies Program of the Hong Kong Institute of Economics and Business Strategy.  It provides the community with reliable, transparent and useful forward-looking economic information to gauge the movements and effects of Hong Kong's activities on a quarterly basis.

The forecasting system has proved to be very useful in tracking the short-term fluctuations of the economy, particularly in predicting turning points of the business cycles.

Media representatives are cordially invited to the press conference, the details are:

Date: January 9, 2014 (Thursday)
Time: 4:30pm
Venue: Room 1&2, the United Conference Centre, 10/F., United Centre, 95 Queensway, Admiralty

For media enquiries, please contact: Ms Trinni Choy (Assistant Director (Media), Communications and Public Affairs Office) tel: 2859 2606 email: pychoy@hku.hk  or Ms Melanie Wan (Senior Manager (Media), Communications and Public Affairs Office) tel: 2859 2600 email: melwkwan@hku.hk.

Around 600 high school students worldwide to participate in Harvard Model Congress Asia conference at HKU
Harvard Model Congress Asia (HMCA) will collaborate with the University of Hong Kong (HKU) to hold its 10th conference from 10 to 12 January 2014. First time in HK, the conference has attracted around 600 high school students from all over the world.

Initiated by a group of Harvard students who are passionate about international relations, government and teaching, the first Harvard Model Congress (HMC) was held in 1986 in Boston. As the leading international and government simulation program for high school students, the model was extended to Asia in 2004 and the Harvard Model Congress Asia (HMCA) was formed and has been committed to providing an immersive educational experience for high school students from across the globe. HKU is their first partner in Hong Kong for 2014 conferences amongst the world. Other than Hong Kong, HMC will also hold conferences in Boston, San Francisco, Dubai and Madrid in 2014. Each year, thousands of high school students have the opportunity to participate in an HMC conference. For details about HMC, please visit http://hmcasia.org/ .

Participating high school students will assume the role of a real life member of government or a representative of a country in an international organization, learn about government and international relations through discussing pressing global issues and possible solutions, and gain knowledge and skills crucial to confront the global challenges of the 21st century. Students will have the opportunity to work with Harvard University student mentors and to interact with HKU’s students.

Press members are cordially invited to cover the opening ceremony of the event. Interviews with the participating HKU students, Harvard University student mentors and high school students will also be arranged. Details as below:

Date: January 10, 2014 (Friday)
Time: 9:00 to 10:00 a.m (Ceremony) 
           10:00 to 11:00 a.m (Interview with participants)
Venue: Grand Hall, Lee Shau Kee Lecture Centre, Centennial Campus, Pokfulam, HKU
Officiating guest : HKU Vice-Chancellor Professor Lap-Chee Tsui
Keynote speaker : Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences Professor John P. Burns

For media enquiries, please contact:
Communications and Public Affairs Office Ms Rhea Leung (tel: 2857 8555, email: rhea.leung@hku.hk) or Academic Liaison Section Ms Betsy Lee (tel : 2219 4202, email: betsylee@hku.hk)

Professor Jao Tsung-I named Inaugural University Laureate
The Senate of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has resolved to appoint Professor Jao Tsung-I (饒宗頤教授), a distinguished and world-renowned Sinologist, as the inaugural University Laureate.

The title of University Laureate is the highest academic honour awarded by the Senate to recognise individuals who have made extraordinary scholarly contributions to the academic world, who have received international acclaim, and, who have been in association, or have committed to be associated, with the University.

An Inaugural University Laureate Presentation Ceremony will be held on January 10, 2014, at which Professor Lap-Chee Tsui, Vice-Chancellor of the University, will present Professor Jao with the title.

Details of the Ceremony are as below:

Date: January 10, 2014 (Friday)
Time: 5:00pm to 6:00pm
Venue: Rayson Huang Theatre, Main Campus, HKU

The University Laureate
Over the past century, the University has committed itself to creating knowledge, providing education, and serving society. Today, HKU is internationally recognized as a research-led comprehensive university, with frontier research endeavours and scholarly achievements that have won it worldwide acclaim.

The University Laureate title was established in 2013 as a purely academic award to recognise, celebrate and encourage extraordinary, world-class scholarship by individuals who have been in association, or have committed to be associated, with the University.

The University Laureate is the highest academic honour that the University can bestow. The appointment recognises academics who have made extraordinary scholarly contributions to the academic world, whose work is regarded as paradigm changing, definitive or canonical in their discipline, who have strived to serve and bring positive changes to society, and, who have received international acclaim.

For media enquiries, please contact: Ms Trinni Choy (Assistant Director (Media), Communications and Public Affairs Office) tel: 2859 2606 email: pychoy@hku.hk; Ms Melanie Wan (Senior Manager (Media), Communications and Public Affairs Office) tel: 2859 2600 email: melwkwan@hku.hk; or Ms Rhea Leung (Manager (Media), Communications and Public Affairs Office) tel: 2857 8555 email: rhea.leung@hku.hk.

University Museum and Art Gallery exhibition: “Embroidered Identities: Ornately Decorated Textiles and Accessories of Chinese Ethnic Minorities"
The exhibition presents traditional Chinese costumes, baby carriers and silver ornaments drawn from the collection of Mei-yin Lee. It demonstrates the wealth of colours, techniques and styles found in the on-going traditions of Chinese minority groups. The display is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, and the production of both exhibition and book has been generously supported by the HKU Museum Society in celebration of the Museum’s 60th and Society’s 25th anniversaries respectively.

Elaborately embroidered costumes and baby carriers, most of which originate with the Miao, Dong, Shui and Zhuang ethnic tribes of the south-western Chinese provinces of Guizhou, Yunnan, and Guangxi are decorated with richly coloured, stitched and sewn ornamentations - and sometimes silver applications - indigenous to the particular culture and long-lived traditions they derive from. As some ethnic minorities lack a written script, the symbolism and colour-coding found in their textiles form a visual language that presents an important cultural and anthropological development and heritage still in practice today.

The exhibition will be held at 1/F T. T. Tsui Building, University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG), 90 Bonham Road from 15 December 2013 to 9 February 2014.

UMAG’s opening hours are from 09:30 to 18:00 Monday to Saturday and 13:00 to 18:00 on Sunday. The Museum is closed on University and public holidays.

Two public talks will be held in January
Introduction to Chinese Ethnic Minorities with Mei-yin Lee (李美賢)
Date: January 11, 2014 (Saturday)
Time: 3pm to 4:30pm
Place: 1/F, T.T. Tsui Building, UMAG, HKU
Speaker: Mei-yin Lee (李美賢) (in Cantonese)

Embroidered Identities: Ornately Decorated Textiles and Accessories of Chinese Ethnic Minorities with Mei-yin Lee (李美賢)
Date: January 18, 2014 (Saturday)
Time: 3pm to 4:30pm
Place: 1/F, T.T. Tsui Building, UMAG, HKU
Speaker: Mei-yin Lee (李美賢) (in Cantonese)

call 2241-5500 for more information.

For media enquiries, please contact UMAG Communication Officer: Miss Elena Cheung, tel: 2241 5512, email: elenac@hku.hk .