CUHK and Fudan University Establish First Hong Kong National Language Promotion Partner Base
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) joined hands with Fudan University to establish the Hong Kong Partner Base of the National Language Promotion Base. The inauguration ceremony took place at CUHK on 19 November 2024, with the officiating guests including Mr. Wang Hui, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Language Application and Administration of the State Ministry of Education; Mr. Jeff Sze, Under Secretary for Education in the Hong Kong government; Professor Rocky S. Tuan, the then Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK; Professor Poon Wai-yin, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of CUHK; Professor Chen Zhimin, Vice President of Fudan University; and Mr. Chen Yulin, Director of the Office of Innovative Technology and Higher Education, Educational, Scientific and Technological Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR.
The partner base will leverage the resources and research expertise of the two universities, providing a reciprocal platform for academics from all over the world to promote the development of the Chinese language and related disciplines. Professor Tuan remarked: “I am honored and proud to collaborate with Fudan University in building Hong Kong’s first national language promotion partner base. This not only shows the strength of CUHK in promoting Chinese culture but also marks the deep cooperation between the two regions, further supporting the national language and culture development strategy, as well as bolstering the common development of the Chinese language in Greater China.”
To advance the development of the Chinese language and support national development strategies, the Ministry of Education has launched national language promotion bases across the country. They are dedicated to promoting Standard Chinese by cultivating specialized professionals, providing intellectual support, organizing relevant activities and fostering cooperation and exchange. As the first national-level language promotion base in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Partner Base for the National Language Promotion Base showcases CUHK’s research capabilities and achievements in Chinese language and culture.
Located at CUHK’s Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS), the partner base will utilize the T.T. Ng Chinese Language Research Centre (CLRC) and the National Language Promotion Base at Fudan University to fully leverage their respective resources and strengths. This collaboration will foster cooperation and exchange across fields such as language, culture, and education, and will conduct collaborative activities such as research projects and seminars to promote Standard Chinese and traditional culture. Joint efforts will be made to establish an interdisciplinary platform to support research by experts from various fields on relevant topics. Scholars from Fudan University and CUHK have been collaborating closely in recent years. Building on such strengths, the base has been established to further enhance the partnership between the two universities and to construct a more systematic, robust research framework at the national level.