Top 60s of CUHK

Top 60s of CUHK

Since 1963, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has been reimagining education, innovating and delivering lasting impact. In celebration of the university’s diamond jubilee in 2023, we will highlight 60 fascinating facts from our 60 years of history and tradition.

Our firsts

  1. CUHK was the first (and only) collegiate university in Hong Kong. In 1963, our university was founded as a federation of three existing colleges – Chung Chi College, New Asia College and United College.
  2. CUHK established Hong Kong’s first graduate school in 1966. The first batch of master’s degrees was awarded the following year.
  3. The University offered several first-of-its-kind business administration programmes in Hong Kong. It launched the first two-year MBA programme in 1966, followed by a three-year part-time MBA programme in 1977, integrated BBA programme in 1986, and Executive MBA programme in 1993.
  4. Established in 1972, CUHK’s Department of Translation was the first of its kind in Hong Kong and Asia.
Best on campus
  1. CUHK has the largest university campus in Hong Kong, stretching 138.4 hectares and housing 169 buildings!
  2. CUHK’s luxuriant campus boasts the highest greening ratio among local universities, with 60% of our campus is covered by vegetation.
  3. The Fok Ying Tung Remote Sensing Science Building at United College is the highest point on campus, as well as one of the most important satellite remote sensing research facilities in Southern China.
  4. Route H has the greatest number of stops out of all shuttle bus routes – 21 in total!

Architectural wonders

  1. Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change, established at CUHK, was the first museum of its kind in the world!
  2. New Asia Water Tower and United College Water Tower are sometimes known as the most ‘mysterious’ buildings at CUHK. They were built in the 70s to store and supply freshwater and saltwater to hostels and buildings on the hillside.
  3. The first building on the central campus was the Benjamin Franklin Centre, built in 1969.
  4. CUHK’s Herbal Garden has a total area of 100,000 sq ft. It is the largest herbal garden for teaching and research in Hong Kong!

Knowledge transfer for social improvement

According to 2021/22 Annual Report on Knowledge Transfer Recurrent Funding from the UGC:

13. CUHK’s knowledge transfer had the highest annual income among UGC-funded universities, reaching close to HK$1.86 billion!

14. 683 patents were filed and granted in 2021/22, which saw CUHK top the list for UGC-funded universities.

15. 1,494 CUHK staff were members of external advisory bodies in 2021/22, another leading figure among UGC-funded universities.

16. There were 71 new invention disclosures – the highest annual number of inventions at CUHK in the past five years! 

Education pioneer

  1. The University has been a pioneer and the first institution in Greater China to introduce general education as a core subject in the undergraduate curriculum.
  2. CUHK launched Hong Kong’s first university-wide Co-operative Education Programme (Co-op @CUHK), redefining the way universities prepare students for career success.
  3. CUHK is launching a unique double major programme for students to complete half their degrees in Hong Kong and the other half at its Shenzhen campus.

Pathway to university

     From Joint University Programmes Admissions System (#JUPAS) in 2022, the admission statistics for HKDSE (territory-wide) takers reveal that:

  1. 55% of students achieving 5** in four or more subjects in the HKDSE are admitted to CUHK – the highest among all Hong Kong institutions.
  2. Medicine (Global Physician-Leadership Stream) welcomed 41 new students who sat for HKDSE last year and has held the record for the highest median admission scores territory-wide for nine consecutive years!
  3. CUHK’s Bachelor of Arts in Chinese Studies emerged as the most sought-after JUPAS programme, with 508 students competing for just 10 places – an average of 51 applicants per place.
  4. The Integrated Bachelor of Business Administration programme captured the attention of 1,523 JUPAS applicants, making it the most popular choice for aspiring CUHKers.

Elite excellence

According to the Best Global Universities Rankings 2023 released by the U.S. News & World Report:

24. CUHK ranked first in Hong Kong and jumped to a record high of gaining 53rd globally!

25. CUHK’s Computer Science subject ranked first in Hong Kong for the third consecutive year and 10th worldwide.

26. CUHK’s Gastroenterology & Hepatology subject ranked first in Hong Kong and climbed five places to third, setting a new record.

27. CUHK ranked first in Hong Kong and third globally in the newly added Artificial Intelligence (AI) subject in 2022.

Culinary delights

  1. CUHK boasts almost 40 canteens and restaurants – the highest no. among local institutions.
  2. United Cooperative Tuck Shop is the first of its kind in local universities. The women workers take full responsibility for shop management and decision making.
  3. Café 330, a New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association initiative, is CUHK’s first social enterprise that promotes the concept of holistic health.
  4. The Si Yuan Amenities Centre is more than a canteen; it’s a multi-purpose cultural centre with the one and only bar on campus, a projector and a snooker room for student activities and departmental workshops.

 Entrepreneurship evolution

  1. CUHK’s Sustainable Knowledge Transfer Project Fund (S-KPF) is the first of its kind in Hong Kong, empowering academics to harness their research insights and launch impactful social enterprises.
  2. The Hong Kong Social Enterprise Challenge (HKSEC), launched by CUHK in 2007, is not only Hong Kong’s leading social enterprise startup platform for tertiary students and recent graduates, but also one of the world’s longest-standing competitions of its kind.
  3. CUHK proudly introduced the first university-wide Minor Programme in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (EPIN) to promote interdisciplinary entrepreneurship culture and mindsets.

Leading the green wave

  1. The Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change at CUHK is the first museum on climate change, offering eco-tour of the prime ecological sites and green facilities on campus, and a variety of workshops and activities that promote green living.
  2. CUHK launched the Hong Kong chapter of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN Hong Kong) in 2018.
  3. CUHK ranked first in Hong Kong for the second consecutive year in the THE Impact Rankings 2023.
  4. CUHK is the first local university to commit to achieving carbon neutrality by 2038.

Sustaining our tomorrow

  1. CUHK is the only public organisation to boast two Gold Awards from the Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence in the Public Organisations and Utilities Sector in 2009 and 2013.
  2. Our School of Architecture‘s One University One Village team initiated a rural sustainable development assistance programme that was recognised at the 2021 International Green Gown Awards – supported by the United Nations Environment Programme – in the category of ‘Benefitting Society’.
  3. We emerged triumphant with three awards including the overall championship in the inaugural Energy Saving Championship Scheme 2016, outshining 270 participating organisations.
  4. Since 2020, our four restaurants have been pilot sites for the first-ever ‘Food TranSmarter’ system to automatically liquefy food waste into slurry.

A legacy continues

  1. CUHK’s 60th Anniversary Commencement Ceremony featured the first-ever large-scale drone show on a Hong Kong campus! It integrated technology and art, creating a mesmerising experience in celebrating CUHK’s 60th anniversary.
  2. CUHK partnered with Times Higher Education to host Hong Kong’s largest higher education conference in five years! 500+ global academic leaders from 140 top universities around the world were gathered to explore the future of higher education.
  3. It is the first time that CUHK’s national treasures were featured in the Forbidden City! The enchanting exhibition “Rare Rubbings of the Song Dynasty” was jointly presented by CUHK and the Palace Museum.
  4. The largest CUHK homecoming event to date! The 2023 CUHK Alumni Homecoming Day has brought together 6,000+ members of the CUHK community.

Pioneer in the Greater Bay Area (GBA)

  1. CUHK was the first and foremost local university to drive collaboration among industry, academia, and research in the GBA.
  2. We were one of the initiating universities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau University Alliance.
  3. In 2006, CUHK, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Shenzhen Government jointly established the first advanced technology research institute in China – the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology.
  4. For the eighth consecutive year, CUHK-Shenzhen has boasted the highest admission scores among all universities in the Guangdong province.

Research excellence

CUHK has received the highest number of awards in various Research Grants Council (RGC) schemes:

51. 11 CUHK scholars received awards under the RGC Senior Research Fellow Scheme in recognition of their outstanding research achievements.

52. 29 CUHK junior academics were awarded under the Early Career Scheme for research excellence.

53. 895 CUHK doctoral students received the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme.

From earth to space

  1. CUHK has launched Hong Kong’s first agricultural project in space. Longhuang soybeans together with the rhizobia specimens developed by CUHK research team, were sent into space by the Shenzhou-16 and Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft respectively,  further advancing soybean breeding technology.
  2. With the support of the Hong Kong government, The Institute of Space and Earth Information Science (ISEIS) at CUHK, aims to independently develops and launches CUHK’s first satellite.
  3. ISEIS owns the only ground receiving station for remote sensing of satellite data in Hong Kong . It serves as the only local base for the National Remote Sensing Center of China.

Milestones of excellence

  1. In 1965, CUHK affirmed its place as a pioneer in fostering international relations by launching its first student exchange programme with the University of California.
  2. CUHK spearheaded the establishment of the Belt and Road Alliance for Traditional Chinese Medicine.
  3. With pride, CUHK has nurtured 15 Rhodes Scholars – the most among all tertiary institutions in Hong Kong.
  4. CUHK offers the greatest number of hostels among local institutions, accommodating over 9,000 students. 

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