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The Centre for Cultural Heritage Studies (CCHS) of the Department of Anthropology at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) recently launched a project on ‘Chinese Muslim Cultural Heritage Studies’. The project was funded by the Chinese Muslim Cultural and Fraternal Association (CMCFA) with a donation of HK$200,000 to study the Muslim cultures in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao, as well as among overseas Chinese Muslims.

Mr. Tuet Che-yin BBS, Chairman of CMCFA, remarked that as the largest Chinese Muslim community in Hong Kong, CMCFA hopes to preserve local Muslim cultural heritage and enhance public knowledge on Islamic culture and local Muslim community through the collaboration with CCHS.

‘We are grateful to CMCFA for its generous donation that will enhance researchers’ and university students’ understanding of Islamic and Muslim cultures through organizing talks, conferences and study tours in mainland China and Hong Kong,’ said Prof. Tan Chee-beng, the project leader and Professor, Department of Anthropology at CUHK.

At the donation ceremony held on 20 January 2011, Mr. Tuet Che-yin personally donated HK$10,000 to support the project. Nearly 60 guests attended the ceremony, including executive committee members of CMCFA; Prof. Hsiung Ping-chen, Dean of Arts, CUHK; Prof. Cheung Chin-Hung Sidney, Chairman and Professor, Department of Anthropology, CUHK; Ms. Chow Yiu-wai Janet, Director of Institutional Advancement, CUHK; faculty members from the Islamic Kasim Tuet Memorial College; Dean of the Islamic Elementary School; and faculty members and postgraduate students from the Department of Anthropology and other departments at CUHK.

To celebrate the launch of this collaboration, Prof. Hao Su-min, Honorary Dean of School of Ethnology and Sociology at the Northwest Institute for Ethnological Studies and an expert in Chinese cultural heritage studies and Muslim culture in northeastern China, was invited to give a lecture on ‘The Muslim Spirit of Universal Love and the Promotion of Cultural Heritage Documentation’ after the ceremony. In his lecture, Prof. Hao analyzed the current situation of Muslim heritage preservation in mainland China to provide valuable insights in related research and to encourage the public to participate in preserving Muslim cultural heritage, with a view to promoting cultural diversity in Hong Kong.