Humanities

Lingnan University has marked a historic milestone with its worldwide first for SDG 4: Quality Education in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2025. This is the first time a Hong Kong higher education institution has reached the top position internationally in any SDG category, and demonstrates the University's valuable contributions to advancing quality education and advocating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Lingnan University’s Jockey Club Gerontechnology and Smart Ageing in Place Project has received the highest 3-Star Certificate in the Elderly Care Award Scheme 2024-25 for the second consecutive year. Organised by the Co-ordinating Committee for Elderly Service of the Tsuen Wan and Kwai Tsing Districts Social Welfare Department, the 3-star rating represents the top award, acknowledging the project’s excellence in community outreach and elderly care innovation.

Moved by how Hiroshima’s memorials transformed unspeakable loss into a global call for peace, a Hiroshima University historian turns his gaze to Southeast Asia—unpacking what stories their war monuments enshrine, what they leave out, and what that means for peace and justice, as the world marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing this year.

The stem cell-based embryo model and actual human embryos share many characteristics but are distinctly different. However, internationally, not everyone agrees on the definitions and what we should and should not do in using this research model.

Lingnan University’s Registry is delighted to announce that its new Undergraduate Admissions website has received the Award of Excellence (Gold) at the 31st Annual Communicator Awards 2025. This international recognition, evaluated by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts (AIVA), places Lingnan alongside globally renowned brands such as Netflix, NASA, Apple, and The Walt Disney Company, all of which were honoured this year.

Organised by the Education Bureau (EDB) of the HKSAR Government and co-organised by the Hong Kong and South China Historical Research Programme of Lingnan University, the Mainland Study Tour and Training Programme of the “Wisdom of History, Legacy of Knowledge: Professional Development Programme for Junior Secondary Chinese History for non-History Major Teachers” was officially launched today (5 June) at the EDB Kowloon Tong Education Services Centre. The launch ceremony, entitled “Exploring Guangzhou: Chinese History Teachers Study Tour – Launch Ceremony and Briefing Session”, announced the launch of the inaugural study tour on 13–14 June, with 80 local secondary school teachers participating. The event was officiated by Dr Choi Yuk-lin, Secretary for Education, and featured a keynote lecture by Prof Ma Min, Director of the Institute of Modern Chinese History of Central China Normal University. Prof Ma shared insights with participating teachers on how to promote patriotic education through Chinese history.

Examines how patient voices impact decision-making

The story of Hanuman and Suvannamaccha, a mermaid, is beloved by generations in Southeast Asia who are familiar with the epic Ramayana, known locally as Ramakien. This tale is, however, altogether absent from the canonical Hindu Ramayana — a testament to the spread, influence, and adaptation of Hinduism and its mythologies in the ancient Indian Ocean world.

Organised by the Education Bureau (EDB) of the HKSAR Government, with the support from the Hong Kong and South China Historical Research Programme (HKSCHRP) of Lingnan University, the 2024/25 Territory-wide Junior Secondary Chinese History and Culture Quiz Final and Prize Presentation Ceremony was held at the Chan Tak Tai Auditorium of Lingnan University today, 17 May. The 12 finalist teams were selected from over 22,000 students from more than 145 secondary schools across Hong Kong. The number of participants has increased by 38% over the 16,000 who took part in last year's inaugural event, which highlights the competition’s success in stimulating interest in Chinese history and culture in young people as well as the Government's achievement in promoting patriotic education.

Hong Kong has one of the fastest-ageing populations in the world. Since the beginning of this year, a volunteer team of staff and students from Lingnan University has been involved in community care “Embracing Ageing: The Project on Community Support for Seniors”, to show their concern for the elderly in Tuen Mun and Yuen Long. The project includes four visits to over a hundred senior citizens who live alone, workshops on using smartphones, presentations by cybersecurity experts to explain the latest anti-fraud measures, and guidance on home safety precautions. Everyone came to the project’s closing ceremony on the Lingnan campus today, 15 May, and enjoyed traditional Naamyam and Cantonese opera and activities for all ages, which encourage physical and mental well-being as well as communication and unity.

The Chamber of Young Snow Art Exhibition Hall at Lingnan University in Hong Kong presents “Print and Preservation: Special Exhibition on the Exhortations to Promote Good Deeds by Empress Renxiao of the Great Ming”. This is the first public display of the rare 1405 imperial edition from the third year of the Yongle reign compiled by Empress Renxiao of the Ming dynasty. A detailed examination of the historical context and content of this work highlights how the Ming imperial court published ethical and moral texts to assert its legitimacy and stability. Visitors will receive a free copy of the picture book “Dai Ming: Keeper of Time and Legacy” created by artist Lam Kin-choi at certain events held as part of the special exhibition. For more details, please stay tuned to our social media channels. The exhibition runs from now until 2 December 2025.

With the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and increasing environmental challenges, global catastrophic risks have gone beyond traditional natural disasters to raise controversial ethical issues. In view of this, the Hong Kong Catastrophic Risk Centre (HKCRC) of Lingnan University has introduced a new, free, online bilingual self-learning course on Ethics and Global Catastrophic Risks, taught by international authorities in philosophy and ethics. Designed to help people understand and cope with the complex landscape of global disaster risks through eight modules, the new programme, launched in late February this year, incorporates in-depth, real-life examples in AI, the environment, and the sciences, and has already attracted more than 8,000 participants from Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, South Asia, the US, and Europe. It is now open to the public at no charge.

Five-time Women's World Chess Champion Grandmaster Ju Wenjun, who successfully defended her title just last week, made a momentous visit to Hong Kong. Lingnan University, in collaboration with the Hong Kong China Chess Federation, co-organised a welcome event and chess exhibition match, where Ju engaged with Lingnan students and local chess enthusiasts. Accompanying her was her coach, Grandmaster Ni Hua. During this event, the Hong Kong China Chess Federation also announced the upcoming Asian Amateur Chess Championships, set to take place in August 2025. Ju has been invited as the guest of honour to witness this significant occasion.

Often depicted as a celestial being traversing the sky in a horse-drawn chariot, Surya is the sun god in Hinduism. Once a prominent Vedic figure, today his importance has declined. Discover the many mythologies of this solar deity, whose worship can be traced to the second century BCE.

Examining group effects on motivation in English as second language classes

Lingnan University Library has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Fudan University Library at the Handan Campus, Fudan University. This MoU marks the first collaborative agreement between Lingnan and Fudan University, with the aim of fostering a closer partnership, harnessing complementary strengths, and facilitating in-depth exchanges across a wide array of academic and professional domains.

Non-Muslim communities were recognized, given authority as way to monitor themselves amid Ottoman suspicions in wake of Greek revolt

The current capabilities of large language models already qualify them to advise students on medical ethics

In 1864, Prussian photographer John Edward Sache arrived in Calcutta and set up a studio in partnership with WF Westfield. From albumen prints of cityscapes to controversial photographs of Indians, Sache’s career embodied British imperial attitudes to colonised landscapes and peoples.

Researchers used motion capture technology to create a database of body language – ranging from happiness to contempt – targeted towards an Asian population for the first time.

A popular pastime in South and Southeast Asia, carrom is played by flicking and pocketing coin-like discs across a smooth tabletop made of wood. Did you know that this game, which originated in India, is now played professionally in competitions across the West?

Lacquerware and porcelain are significant in the history of Chinese civilisation. Lingnan University’s Chamber of Young Snow Art Exhibition Hall is hosting a new exhibition, titled ‘Shine and Shade, Earth and Wood: The Story of Everyday Porcelain and Lacquer’ from 17 February to 2 December 2025 featuring over 30 rare and exquisite lacquer and porcelain pieces from the Tang to the Qing dynasties. Experts and academics from the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), Art Museum of The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Zhejiang Provincial Museum will lecture on the culture, design, and academic research of Chinese handicrafts, and Lingnan will also organise two workshops on ‘The Beauty of Everyday: Experience Session on Chinese Lacquer Decorations’. The public is welcome to register and participate.

Prof Ruby Lai Yuen-shan, Assistant Professor of the Department of Sociology and Social Policy at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, has partnered with two Hong Kong artists, Ms Miu Law and Mr Victor Sham Chung-tat, for an interdisciplinary collaboration. Together, they have curated the exhibition “Listening to the Stories of 118.4 Square Feet”, which highlights a selection of real-life stories from residents of subdivided units.

From an ancient Buddhist symbol representing the wheel of law to an enduring icon of self-reliance and resistance in the early twentieth century, the charkha, a hand-driven spinning wheel, and the chakra, the flat-spoked wheel with which it is often conflated, have lived many lives in South Asia.

Tsuyoshi Watanabe uses corals to understand the environment of the past and what it can tell us about people living then.

Using internet memes to teach science can significantly improve learning outcomes for senior high school students.

To promote Hong Kong as an international hub for post-secondary education and enhance the “Study in Hong Kong” brand, Lingnan University in Hong Kong has organised a comprehensive four-day orientation programme for the first time ever specifically for the 147 inbound exchange students. These students, who come from 26 countries including China, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, the UK, and the US, represent over 70 partner institutions from all over the world who will attend the spring term of the 2024/25 academic year. The number of inbound exchange students has increased by 122% compared to the previous spring term.

The mini air purifier PureAura, designed and developed by Lingnan University's Lingnan Entrepreneurship Initiative (LEI), has received the 2024 Good Design Award Best 100, regarded as the Oscars of Design in the East, and one the most influential design awards in the world alongside the iF Design Award, Red Dot Design Award, and IDEA Design Award. With its breakthrough design concept and practicality, PureAura has achieved a Grand Slam of prestigious design awards, and become the only innovative entry to win the highest honour from all four design awards at the same time.

Perched on a hill overlooking the village of Thiksey in Ladakh, Thiksey Monastery is one of the most expansive Buddhist complexes in India. Notable for its vast collection of murals, sculptures and rare manuscripts, this 15th-century religious site is heavily fortified and was once an administrative centre.

Japanese language learning brought prosperity and persecution for women in Korea