Global China Studies Newsletter, Fall 2015

SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCE

THE HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE SND TECHNOLOGY

I

have some good news to share with the students of our Global China Studies (GCS) Program. Last year, we did well in our student admission exercise. The number of our band A applicants have significantly increased. The employment rate of the graduates of our first batch of students is 90%, with 10% pursuing for full-time further studies or returning to their homeland. We have gained new internship partnerships in media, politics, social enterprise and the cultural sector. We have a student who joined the Administrative Service (AO) Summer Internship Program of the government, which is really an achievement. Another student has gone to Inner Mongolia to do her internship. In addition, with the generous support of Mr. S. C. Liu, students of the GCS program will benefit from sponsorships for international learning experiences such as exchanges, internships, conferences, seminars and competitions. All these news are encouraging to our program. I sincerely hope that our students will continue to work hard and also enrich and enjoy themselves by engaging in various co-curricular activities through which their skills and personalities will be developed. Professor Simon Wong,

Associate Dean (UG), SHSS

Global China Studies

Newsletter

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was very honored to organize a 2-day camp to serve teenagers from South Asian Countries. During these days I did not only have a better understanding towards those teenagers but also fulfilled my curiosity about their culture. Our society

have conducted a small scale exhibition at

our school related to ethnic minorities in late April this year and I became interested in those countries and l wished l could have a chance to meet some of them in order to learn more about their daily lives. I admired their attitudes towards their own cultures

and they paid as much respect as possible to them although they were currently living

thousands of kilometers away from their

motherland. Their aspiration to carry on their own culture from past generations

greatly impressed us.

-Law Kin Hey

NEWSLETTER, FALL 2015

ll

hrough the Summer Camp, I have learnt how to communicate and have cultural exchange with ethnic minorities. Seldom do I

have chance to talk with ethnic minorities,

but after this event, I have known more about their background, such as culture, tradition,

leisure and social status. Besides, I was shocked by the fact that only 3% of ethnic

minorities have the opportunity to enter a

university, in contrast to the statistic that 14% of local students getting into tertiary education. It is not difficult to imagine that their social mobility is low and inter-generational poverty may become a vicious cycle in Hong Kong. Therefore, in my opinion, the government should implement more policies that increase ethnic minorities' access to education and enhance social

mobility.

Global China Studies

An Elite undergraduate program

Internship

Taking a gap year to

work in the One-year Internship of Hang

Seng Bank has been the most challenging and exciting experience for

me. I worked as an intern in the

commercial banking talent acqu1s1t10n

department. My job duties include handling hiring requests from businesses, recruiting the right candidates, follow through all recruitment stages and

participating in various human resources projects. My job required constant communications with headhunters, businesses,

recruitment managers, candidates and colleagues from other HR departments. It enabled me to widen exposure in the bank and brush up my client-servicing skills. I was surprised when I faced higher pressure at work than I experienced as a student at school. But through adapting to the new environment, I gradually acquired

project, time and stress management skills, which are very beneficial to my study and future career. I am very glad that my school

department has been very supportive of students taking internship

opportunities. Department staffs were in contact with me all along and offered me workplace and career advice. The school encourages

us to take more internship opportunities to explore our talents and interests in different career field. The one-year internship has

encouraged me to challenge myself, step out of my comfort zone and live my university life to the fullest!

- Leung Nga Yan, Joanna

For the opportunity to understand more about the business industry, I decided to apply for a gap year, and to intern in The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) after I finished my sophomore year of university study.

Over the year, I had the pleasure to work with Regional Teams from

Europe, Asia Pacific, Americas, as well as the Middle East. This

internship was radically different from my past experiences with other

institutions. It is the diversity of responsibilities that keeps me excited every day: From developing and deploying new platforms and tools, to managing global wealth sales business performance review, my role has put me on a sharp learning curve.

While HSBC has great expectations of their trainees, it also provides ample development opportunities to its people. Through series of

trainings, forums, mentorship programs, and networking events, I was

I am really glad to have the valuable opportunity to work as an AO

intern. During my three-month internship in the Narcotics Division,

I have performed two major tasks. The first task was to carry out

research on ketamine, which is the most commonly abused drug among the youths in Hong Kong. However, it is not under the international control and is only subject to national control. As a result, my research focused on finding more evidence to support that

ketamine could fulfill the criteria for listing it on the international

convention. At the end of my internship, I am asked to present my findings on this topic. My second task was to update and beautify the web-portal of the Narcotics Division's website and the Drug Information Centre's website. I have carried out regular checks on

the websites to ensure that the information on the web is updated. If the information is outdated, my role will shift to work as a coordinator, which means that contacts have to be made with

different teams for collecting the latest information. At the same time, I am responsible for drafting the FAQs on the websites. For the

Drug Information Centre's website, I am responsible to give some new suggestions in improving the layout and content inside the web. Certain posters are also constructed for providing anti-drugs to parents. Apart from the above 2 job duties, my daily works includes undergoing research on certain other issues, to make anti-drug

posters, powerpoint etc.

As a summer intern, I am glad that I could have the opportunity to participate in the regular meeting of the Action Committee Against Narcotics. As an observer, I have learnt a lot throughout the process like how different stalk holders could negotiate and comprise. Other than that, there are still many other learning opportunities. For example, the opportunity to participate in one of the biggest event of

the Narcotics Division held on 27 June, which is a day after the

International Anti-drug Day. Prior to the event, I could attend their

regular meeting for preparation and organization. There are also a variety of visiting programs that all summer interns are requested to participate. We visited to the ICAC, Tuen Mun District Council etc.

One of the most unforgettable experiences was that I visited the CS's

residence and had an afternoon talk with her.

This experience of working as an AO intern has been very

unforgettable and rewarding. Through directly immersed in the

government and working closing with AO, I understand more about

the administrative work of the government. - Lau Wing Yue, Victoria

given great exposure to

both the commercial and operational aspects

of the business. I am very thankful for

being a Global China Studies (GCS) Student at HKUST. Not only for

having the School's full

support on academic and

internship matters, but the GCS Program also equipped me with project management, problem-solving and people skills, which are

transferable to all other contexts. - Wong Pui Ka, Clare

This summer I had the opportunity to work as a summer intern for Li & Fung (Trading), one of the most reputable Hong Kong companies around the world. I worked in the Human Resource department along with the Compensation and Benefits team.

I find this one of the most fruitful experiences in my university life because it gave me an insight into working for a big multinational

Intern Gathering

company. First of all, I learned new things about working in the Human resources including how does benefits (such as insurance, annual leaves, retirement plan, health benefits etc) work. Secondly, working in a business environment I learned how to be more organized, meticulous and multitasking. Even my skills in using excel improved a lot during the time there. I was pleasently surprised by the friendly attitude of my co-workers. We often participated in events together such as lunches, basketball games or happy hour gatherings. In Li & Fung, there is a very good mix of local and non-local workers and the working environment itself is bilingual as people use Cantonese and English equally often.

After taking this internship, what I want after graduation is to pursue a career in business. I strongly believe that both HKUST and GCS had already prepared me well for by developing my skills, knowledge, analytical and critical thinking. I feel privileged with my academic background that established my personality and exposed me to so many opportunities for development.

- Petar Zdravkov Petrov

This summer, I was given an opportunity to work for Education for Good (EFG), a company that has been dedicated to nurturing social entrepreneurs through tailored education programs.

I would like to summarize my EFG internship experience as "exploring uncertainty and being innovative". I was always encouraged to think creatively, and to come up with the novel way to develop our projects. I assisted with doing research and promoting social business incubation program "Future U", CSR tour program, and social entrepreneurship policy proposal. I am certain that I have greatly expanded my horizons with personal development. On top of that, as a foreigner, I was afraid that it would be challenging for to communicate effectively with colleagues and staff at the workplace. But, I was warmly welcomed and there was always good interaction among members. Through EFG experience, I have improved my communication skills as well as my great confidence. I was lucky to kick start my work experience with EFG. I hope that more students will engage in internship programs in GCS.

-Eunji Shin, Darcy

I worked as a buddy teacher to assist the teacher in English and Maths for 2 months in Cambodia. This was really an unforgettable experience to stay in a developing country for a long time. Also, the kids here are very cute and eager to learn and speak English with me. I was so surprised that most of

the students can speak English very well and they do not feel shy even they may speak wrongly sometimes. Therefore, I had a really great time with the kids and I love them very much. Besides my volunteer work, I also went to one of the World Heritage-Angkor Wat. It is very magnificent and I was so amazed that the people from a thousand years ago could build such a massive building. Overall, I really enjoy these 2 months and I would love to go back again soon. - Li Kwan Yau, Tiffany

GCS Exchange

@Sciences Po, Pc1ris

In the past 6 months, I believe I have been through the most important time in my whole

university life. I am very glad to study at Sciences Po, a top university in France.

Living in Paris has taught me a lot of things. The

differences in language and living style were the barriers to me at first, but soon after they turned

out to be one of the most valuable assets I have gained during the exchange. I definitely became more independent and improved time

management, crisis management, and communication skills. In addition

to studying hard, I also traveled across Europe. It is so exciting to relate

everything what I studied through books before to the actual things.

The best thing that exchange has given me was not only from the

classroom, but also from the friends I have made, the little things that I learned from living and traveling. This exchange experience has undoubtedly expanded my horizons and global exposure.

- Chan Sin Mei

@Seoul Nc1tionc1l University

Exchange in Korea is the most impressive experience I have ever had. It not only allows me to meet friends from various countries, but also

enables me to understand myself in a deeper way. Korean is the first language that I learnt besides Cantonese, Mandarin and English.

' Another kind of knowledge

that I acquired is about their

history and culture. As I had a

chance to study two courses

related to history and culture respectively, I have gained

insights into Korean history from Stone Age period to 2014

and also a wide variety of

culture including food culture,

language and architecture. Through attending lectures and fieldtrip

organized by the professor, I have broadened my horizon towards Korean culture and history. In addition, I become more mature, patient and

independent. During my exchange, I faced a lot of difficulties including language barrier, getting lost and adjusting to the cultural differences.

Nonetheless, I overcame these barriers by myself successfully. All in all, exchange is such a precious opportunity that allows me to become a

well-rounded person and explore the world. -Ng Kai Sze

@York University

,

Toronto, Cc1nc1dc1

Before going on exchange, I was a very quiet girl who was a bit afraid of

trying new things. Being told to get out of my comfort zone, I aimed at

making friends with English-speaking people only and trying things that

I have never done before.

I had a group of very good friends who come from various countries

ranging from Brazil to Pakistan. I learned a lot of things that I was not interested in at all before. Moreover, I was inspired by our conversations

very often. Taking the viewpoints towards arranged marriage as example,

before this exchange, I would have believed that women who were confined to arranged marriage only should feel bitter or constrained. But after the exchange, I found that my Pakistani friend actually enjoyed it as she thought it was a surprise given by her

parents and she was looking forward to it.

Ever since then, I always make sure that I

contemplate on different viewpoints or

cultures in a critical way.

This experience from my exchange was so impressive that it made me become more brave and be receptive of new things!

- Chong Hok Yin

@ Leiden University College the Hc1gue,

The Netherlc1nds

The 5 months in the Netherlands has been a very rewarding experience

for me. Academically, studying in a liberal arts environment in Europe

has allowed me to view and think of global issues in a different perspective. I am especially impressed by the atmosphere of active discussion and sharing of different opinions in the Dutch classroom. Throughout the exchange I found myself being more able to express my

own opinion and share my ideas in an academic setting.

Outside of the classroom, I have met and

befriended with my Dutch classmates and other

people I have met in school activities, exchange students gatherings, and during my travels. I have

come to know more about people of different

nationalities, and learnt not to perceive others

because of our different habits, lifestyles, and

attitude towards different aspects of life from

my own "Hong-Konger perspective", but to appreciate different people's cultural

backgrounds, personal experiences and upbringings. I believe that after

these 5 months, I have grown into becoming more outspoken,

understanding, and independent person.

- Law Ho Ching

@Tsinghuc1 University

This is the first time I go to Beijing. I acquire the knowledge of the development and the overall situation of my motherland only from the textbooks and reports. I was excited to have opportunity to go to Beijing

with the university students from Hong Kong. And the most interesting part of this summer exchange is that we went to different places of

interest, such as the Summer Palace, the National Museum, the

Forbidden City and so on. From the visits and travels, we get to know

about the historical traces and

monuments. All in all, this

exchange was an unforgettable

experience. I received good care

from Miss Wang and the assistants of this program, they really took

care of us, regardless of the difficulties we encountered during this trip. And we also felt the

warmth from the people from both Mainland and Hong Kong. I hope that friendship between us will last even as the exchange camp ended.

- Li Siu Suet

I had spent the whole regular semester in The National Taiwan University in Taiwan for exchanging and studying purposes, I approached to many things that I never experienced before during the exchange period and it was overall a wonderful journey. I have taken five courses during this

semester in the host university, the content of these courses are quite

impressive to me. I am impressed by the diversity of courses that

organized by the host University such as courses of geography, Chinese

law history and archeology.

In addition to studying, I have traveled to different tourist spots in leisure time and participated in some competitions held by the dormitory office.

I observed that the attitudes towards life among Taiwanese in Taiwan are different from those in Hong Kong. Unlike Hong Kong people, Taiwan

people seem not to care about the speed, they walk slowly, work carefree, with less pressure. All in all, I enjoyed the days spent in Taiwan and the host University, and I am convinced that all I have learned and explored

from there would be useful to the rest of my student life.