Hong Kong

Lingnan University (LU) in Hong Kong highly values research and knowledge transfer that generate social impact and demonstrate care for the community. LU honoured 72 LU faculty members for their outstanding performance in research and contributions to knowledge transfer in raising the community’s quality of life and contribution to society during the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years.

Gender nonconforming youth are often subject to bullying and harassment, but the negative effects of this experience are not well understood. Previous studies have found that gender-nonconforming youth are at heightened risk of depression, social withdrawal and avoidance behaviour compared to gender-conforming youth. The association between gender nonconformity and psychological distress has been found to be more common among adolescent boys than girls. Both heterosexual and sexual-minority individuals can be subject to victimisation based on their gender expression, regardless of their actual sexual orientation.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals across the globe experience prejudice, discrimination, hate crimes, and many other forms of victimisation. As a fundamental means for transforming and advancing the conditions of LGBT individuals, collective action has gained increasing attention in research, policy and practice over the past decade. It has been used to advocate for LGBT rights, such as anti-discrimination laws, marriage equality, adoption and parenting, and legal recognition of gender. While collective action is influential in driving public awareness and policy changes, little is known about the psychological effects on individuals undertaking collective action.

A study led by researchers from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has demonstrated that a multifunctional organic compound named F-SLOH has the potential to treat Alzheimer’s disease (AD) at an early stage. The team found that it can inhibit the aggregation of amyloid-beta (Aβ), and reduce the hyperphosphorylation of tau proteins and neuroinflammation in the brain to improve the pathological features of AD. The findings have been published in the international academic journal Redox Biology.

Dr Yang Lan, Assistant Professor at the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, The Education University of Hong Kong, has written a book chapter entitled ‘The Role of Feedback Orientation in Converting External Feedback to Learning Opportunities for Implementing Assessment-as-Learning in the Context of Feedback’. The chapter, which features in the book Assessment as Learning: Maximising Opportunities for Student Learning and Achievement (Z. Yan & L. Yang [Eds], Routledge, 2021), looks at students' feedback perceptions conceptualised in a construct called feedback orientation and the links with learning opportunities. The key argument is that not all feedback can be effective.

Improved reading comprehension is the ultimate goal of all models of reading development and programmes of reading instruction. Syntax, or sentence structure, plays a key role in reading comprehension. Syntactic complexity has been consistently identified as the most important determinant of text readability. But how students draw on their awareness of syntax in their reading remains unclear; the mechanism is even more ambiguous in bilingual students. The research by Dr Tong Xiuhong, Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychology (PS), The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), explored learners’ understanding and awareness of sentence structure – whether and how syntactic awareness supports reading comprehension both within and across first-language (L1) Chinese and second- language (L2) English for Hong Kong bilingual readers.

Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has announced the launch of the world’s first “Turing AI Orchestra” today (9 August) as the next milestone in its visionary plan to broaden the scope and explore potential opportunities in art co-creation by humans and artificial intelligence (AI).

A recent study “Hong Kong residents’ view on reopening land borders with Mainland” conducted by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) at Lingnan University (LU) shows that Hong Kong citizens are greatly affected by the current quarantine measures implemented by the Mainland government for inbound travellers. Nearly 65 per cent of respondents said their income has been reduced, 70 per cent found their jobs were affected, and 30 per cent have lost their jobs. 70 per cent of respondents hope that the government will provide medical subsidies and telemedicine services for citizens stranded on the Mainland, and 65 percent said they would be happier with the government if there were quarantine-free travel to the Mainland.

Intergenerational support between aging parents and adult children is important for the well-being of both groups, especially during public health emergencies. However, few previous studies have examined the effects of daily support between parents and children on their well-being during public health emergencies. To bridge this gap, a study by Dr Jiang Da, Assistant Professor at the Department of Special Education and Counselling, The Education University of Hong Kong, examined the association between daily support and well-being in mothers and their adult children during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

Students of the Master of Arts in Curating and Art History (MACAH) at Lingnan University in Hong Kong has curated two exhibitions, to be held at Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre (JCCAC) at Shek Kip Mei, Kowloon from 13-21 August 2022. Titled Re · Count and Healing Self Healing respectively, the exhibitions feature works by 10 local and international artists in a variety of mediums such as ceramics, tattoo, and painting. The curatorial team hopes to create an introspective space for the audience to reflect upon their psyche amidst exhausting and often frustrating social lives.

Dr Lao Hongling, Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (C&I), The Education University of Hong Kong, has co-authored a book chapter entitled ‘Dancing with Chains: How Does Assessment-as-learning Fit in China?’

Prof Yusuf Ikbal Oldac, Research Assistant Professor of the School of Graduate Studies of Lingnan University in Hong Kong (LU) has been awarded the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) Newer Researchers Prize for his research proposal entitled “Scientific collaborations between the United Kingdom and Middle Eastern and North African countries in the post-Brexit and post-pandemic world”. He will receive funding to carry out the project, and join the Society’s Research and Development Committee for one year as a new researcher member starting from 1 January 2023.

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and parasympathetic nervous systems have been reported to play important roles in regulating emotion and coping with stress. But their direct relationship with psychological resilience remains unclear. These biophysiological features should be considered together with traditional psychometric properties to study resilience more comprehensively.

In celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China, the Hong Kong Institute of Business Studies (HKIBS) of Lingnan University (LU) in Hong Kong launched the first-ever “Hong Kong – Chinese Mainland Economic Integration Index (1990-2019)”. Drawing from the literature on economic integration, the research team used archival data from various sources between 1990 and 2019 to construct a comprehensive index of economic integration. The results indicate that the two economies have become highly integrated and interdependent over time. The findings reveal the positive effect of economic integration on the Hong Kong economy, while highlighting significant challenges to economic development and governance in the SAR.

Lingnan’s Team 404, with members (pictured, from left) Lau Lok-tin (Year 3 BBA-Finance), Lee Cheuk-wun (Year 4 BBA-Human Resource Management), Chong Yuen-yau (Year 3 BBA-Human Resource Management) and Aaron Cheuk Hiu-fung (Year 3 BBA-Marketing), has won the Global Business Challenge 2022 (North Asia).

Biologists from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) have discovered in Hong Kong waters three new species of hard coral which have never been identified anywhere else in the world. The findings come shortly after their discovery of one new coral and two new nudibranch species, which was announced last year under their research project on coral health in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Baptist University Symphony Orchestra (HKBU Symphony Orchestra) will present an innovative performance showcasing human creativity alongside artificial intelligence at its Annual Gala Concert, to be held on14 July (Thursday) at 8:00pm in the Hong Kong City Hall.

Global flows of international students have diversified in recent years. As a result, the common association of this form of mobility with affluent members of the global middle class increasingly does not hold. About six per cent of African tertiary students undertake higher education outside their home country, a higher proportion than in any other region. About half study in Africa; China is the second-largest single host country after France, having hosted 81,562 African students in 2018.

A study by The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) suggests that learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) are more likely to initiate communicating, if they are frequently engaged in Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE).

Lingnan University (LU) hosted an International Symposium on Social Policy and Social Services Challenges in the Greater Bay Area on 23 June to discuss the latest research and practices concerning social policy and social services challenges in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA). The Symposium was jointly organised by the Asia Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies and Lingnan University-South China University of Technology Joint Research Centre for Greater Bay Area Social Policy and Governance, and was also funded by University Grants Committee. Over 60 scholars and participants joined from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and other regions.

Hosted by Lingnan University (LU) in Hong Kong, the Times Higher Education Liberal Arts Forum was held on 23 and 24 June, the first day of the conference attracted an audience of over 800 from all around the world.

Lingnan University (LU) and National Chung Cheng University (CCU) in Taiwan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote cooperation in education and academic research between the two institutions. At the signing ceremony held virtually on 22 June 2022, Prof Joshua Mok Ka-ho, LU Acting President, and Prof Hao Feng-ming, Vice-President of CCU, signed the MOU on behalf of the two parties.

Lingnan University (LU) in Hong Kong held a kick-off ceremony for its “LU Jockey Club Health and Financial Education Programme for Elderly” today (21 June), attracting more than 300 programme participants, representatives of partner institutions and friends of LU to join. Funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the three-year programme aims to strengthen and promote older adults’ knowledge of consumer behaviour, financial management skills, and healthcare management by offering them a series of training and inter-generational communication activities.

Many applications of big data in language education are associated with multimedia learning, and a considerable proportion of the practices of integrating multimedia into language learning resources is associated with annotations for vocabulary learning. The literature indicates that multimedia annotations are very effective in promoting vocabulary learning and that pictorial annotations lead to effective vocabulary learning, but their creation is challenging and time-consuming.

Lingnan University (LU) comes first in Hong Kong and second in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan universities in the Chinese University Translation Ability Index 2021 recently released by the National Translation Competence Research Center of Beijing Foreign Studies University.

A large body of research supports the critical role of handwriting in reading, both in alphabetic languages and Chinese. Studies of alphabetic languages found that handwriting practice facilitates early letter categorisation ability.

A research team led by Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has found that a proteolytic enzyme called membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) plays an important role in the regulatory mechanism of fullness, or satiety, and it could serve as a promising potential drug target for the management of obesity.

As physical activity (PA) has significant benefits for health and fitness, the WHO recommends that children and adults engage at least 60 minutes and 150 minutes of moderate-intensity PA per week, respectively. However, owing to global urbanisation, technological advances, and increasing convenience in daily activities, inadequate PA in all aspects of life has become a major public health concern. In Hong Kong, 71% of adults do not meet the WHO PA recommendations. This persistent and growing health-related problem indicates an urgent need to develop an intervention programme that can effectively promote PA at the individual, family, community, and city-wide levels. Therefore, a set of community-based family ‘holistic health’ intervention programmes were developed, implemented, and evaluated in the previous Happy Family Kitchen Movement (HFKM) project to promote well-being and health in Hong Kong.

Lingnan University (LU) has achieved remarkable results in the 2022 Top Universities and Top Scientists Rankings conducted by Research.com based on h-index performance and bibliometric indicators.

Lingnan University (LU) announced today (12 May) its Strategic Plan for 2022-28 which is encapsulated by the tagline “Stronger, Soaring” to move the University forward in seven strategic areas: Optimising Liberal Arts Education in the Digital Era; Augmenting Postgraduate Studies; Inspiring Research with Impact; Interfacing Responsible Leadership with Glocal Entrepreneurship; Bolstering Institutional Advancement, Alumni Development and Branding; Enhancing Campus Infrastructure and Planning Campus Expansion; and Deepening the Connection to the Greater Bay Area and the Rest of Mainland.