CUHK
News Centre

Every summer, St. Gallen University in Switzerland invites an Asian university to co-organize the annual cultural exchange programme, “Asian Cultural Transfer (ACT)”, so that their students can visit the co-host’s country and experience a different culture. This year, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) was invited to be a working partner of ACT 2008. The planning of programme, including sponsorship seeking and programme arrangements was handled by two student committees from the two institutions.

The first part of the two-part programme took place in Switzerland in end of July. Twenty CUHK students from New Asia College spent 10 wonderful and unforgettable days in Switzerland with 20 of their Swiss counterparts. They went to Geneva and Lucerne where they visited some of the country’s famous mountains and lakes, and engaged in a series of cultural exchange activities. Ernst & Young in Switzerland also invited local university professors to host a workshop for the students to enhance their skills in coping with cultural differences. And the group paid a visit to the Chinese Embassy in Bern and met with Mr Dong Jin-yi, the Chinese ambassador to Switzerland. The meeting served to enhance the visitors’ understanding of political and economic issues in China.

“This is my first time to Europe, and also my first time to enter a Chinese embassy. The conversation with Ambassador Dong was an incredible experience for me. He answered our questions regarding various social problems in China very openly, including the difference in development between coastal and inland areas of China, protection of intellectual property rights, application of Chinese visa for foreigners, and the Embassy’s support for Sichuan earthquake victims. Now I have a better understanding of the workings of an embassy, as well as mainland China," said Gloria Chan Wing-yee, a Year 1 student from the Faculty of Law, CUHK.

The second part of the programme took place in Hong Kong in the beginning of August. CUHK students took their Swiss counterparts to famous tourist spots such as the Peak, Ocean Park and Lantau Island. They experienced both the prosperous side of Hong Kong through visits to listed companies such as The Hongkong Electric Company Limited and the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, as well as the lives of the grass-roots through trips to Sham Shui Po and old districts in Central and Sheung Wan. They also went to the Legislative Council (LegCo) and the Independent Commission Against Corruption, and met with LegCo member Hon Ms Emily Lau Wai-hing and the Consul General of Switzerland in Hong Kong.

One of the most impressive activities for the Swiss students was “Our Life in West Kowloon: Where Life, Heritage and Culture Meet”, a multimedia exhibition on the Sham Shui Po community co-organized by the Society for Community Organization and New Asia College. Through the exhibition, the Swiss students took a closer look at the lives and the living conditions of the low income groups. On the last day of the 10-day programme, the students watched the movie “Besieged City”, directed by Mr Lawrence Lau Kwok-cheong, a famous local director. After the screening, Mr Lau was invited to join a panel discussion on the social problems in new towns such as Tin Shui Wai, as highlighted in his movie.

“I am really glad to have participated in these activities. I learnt a lot. It is really good to do something normal tourists would not do in Hong Kong. I think the Hong Kong organizing team did an excellent job in showing the multiple facets of this metropolitan city. In the future, I would like to discover more about this interesting Asian society,” said Carina Schneider, one of the Swiss participants.

“Through the reciprocal visit, I have gained a deeper understanding of the meaning of 'difference' – in terms of culture, people and thinking. It takes great effort to overcome such differences but the reward will be priceless,” said Philipp Behrends, member of the Swiss organizing team of ACT 2008.

Since the very beginning, the Consulate General of Switzerland in Hong Kong has been showing great support towards the programme. In the second part of the programme, Mr Hans J. Roth, Consul General of Switzerland gave a speech entitled “Managing Business in China”, in which he talked about doing business and living in China after years of analysing Sino-Western cultural differences. And Mr Johann U. Muller, Deputy Consul General of Switzerland invited the whole group to a farewell session at his place, rounding off ACT 2008.