Happenings

This project, centred on the 300-year-old Hakka village Lai Chi Wo, set out to conserve traditional knowledge while empowering both the local community and emerging artists. By immersing participants in the village’s rich biodiversity and cultural heritage, the programme focused on three core elements: Soil, Plant, and Sound. Guided by our staff and experienced mentors, artists explored the landscape, engaged with villagers, and rediscovered traditional crafts. They then translated their insight first in an Open House in Lai Chi Wo, and later in an 8-day exhibition in Central, Hong Kong.  The impact has been profound. Artists not only developed their creativity and traditional craft skills but also acted as bridges between rural wisdom and urban audiences. Activities included interactive workshops with social NGOs. These interactions brought Hakka heritage to life, making it accessible and relevant to a wider public.  Importantly, the project demonstrated the university's effectiveness as a connector, linking academic research, community trainers, and the rural context. The incubation model piloted here highlights how universities can help foster sustainable urban-rural partnerships, positioning villages like Lai Chi Wo as living laboratories for creative, co-created revitalisation.

The Beat the Heat Training & Study Tour was organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Singapore, in partnership with the Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance (CCFLA) and the Cool Coalition. It brought together international experts, policymakers, and researchers to address urban heat and climate vulnerability for more liveable cities. Two of our Centres staff members, Miss Daisy Yeung and Dr Tai Hu, joined global delegates to explore how Nature-based Solutions (NbS), passive cooling technologies, and collaborative governance can be deployed to strengthen heat resilience across nations. The programme provides an insightful reference for strengthening Hong Kong’s heat resilience. The central lesson we learn from the study tour is that heat exposure can be effectively reduced through design and implementation of passive cooling before relying on energy-intensive cooling measures. For example, Singapore integrates greenery, shade and natural ventilation into urban planning, supported by environmental modelling that helps planners assess how urban development can make use of wind corridors, shadings, and greenery’s evaporative effects to influence local thermal conditions. Climate-sensitive planning was a theme in the training and site visits. At Punggol Digital District (PDD), structural massing and building orientation are aligned with prevailing wind directions. PDD’s car-free boulevard and naturally ventilated public plazas eliminate vehicle heat exhaust. These measures demonstrate why cooling should be considered across neighbourhoods, rather than addressed solely within individual buildings. As a trained botanist, Dr Tai is particularly amazed by the integration of greenery as a passive cooling method. Greenery provides another layer of protection. Singapore’s roadside planting, park networks, rooftop gardens and vegetated façades combine shading with opportunities for biodiversity and recreation. The Landscaping for Urban Spaces and High-Rises (LUSH) scheme, in particular, illustrates how planning requirements and incentives can embed greenery within building and city development, making cooling part of the urban fabric rather than an optional addition. The LUSH scheme is very much a policy-driven, regulatory NbS. For Hong Kong, potential priorities during the city’s new urban (re)-development can include more continuous shaded walking routes linking homes, transport and community facilities; targeted tree planting in exposed public spaces; and maybe even trials of cool roofs and external shading on suitable buildings. Whenever possible, urban development projects should prioritise more with the vulnerable demographics in mind, such as older people, outdoor workers and residents with limited mobility, making cooling more affordable and accessible, while accounting for maintenance, typhoon safety and competing uses of space.

Preserving Living Heritage in the Asia-Pacific: The APHEN-ICH 2026 International Forum and General Meeting in Hanoi In August 2026, with our colleague Daisy Yeung’s presence, the Centre participated in the APHEN-ICH 2026 International Forum and General Meeting held at Vietnam National University (VNU), Hanoi. Over three days, we immersed in conversations with heritage practitioners, researchers, and community innovators, exploring the theme of Living Heritage and Cultural Industries in the Asia-Pacific: Community Creativity, Sustainable Transmission, and Cultural Innovation. Day 1: Navigating and Sustaining Heritage Discussions centred on how communities are creatively adapting Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) through local craft villages, heritage tourism, and digital innovation. What struck us most was the honesty of the practitioners, grappling openly with real tensions: balancing economic benefit with cultural authenticity, and encouraging generational transmission amidst modern career pressures. Rather than viewing marketisation and technology as threats to cultural authenticity, the forum highlighted how creative enterprise can be powerful for transmitting heritage knowledge to younger generations, using digital tools and new market channels,. Day 2: Youth Engagement and the General Meeting The second day speeches focused on youth, ICH and creative futures. The conversation with VNU students showcased their genuine passion for heritage work and a fresh, creative vision for its future. The afternoon APHEN-ICH General Meeting focused on discussing the network's strategic direction for 2026–2028, followed by  a heartfully warm farewell dinner hosted by our VNU colleagues. Day 3: Field Trips to Traditional Craft Villages The forum truly came alive during visits to the Đông Hồ folk painting village and Bát Tràng pottery village. We met a young villager working in community-initiated museums, leading guided tours with passion. He was even developing multilingual self-guided tour elements to make heritage accessible to new audiences — a brilliant example of local youth actively shaping how traditions thrive in the 21st century. When we visited artisans' homes, we heard something you don't find in academic papers: the vulnerability of their position, their pride in their craft, and their pragmatic creativity in adapting the contemporary markets. These exchanges reaffirmed that sustainable transmission it's not about freezing heritage in amber, but enabling communities to choose, adapt and evolve their practices. Looking Forward Our centre recognise that universities must serve as bridges, connecting heritage communities with resources, research support, and platforms for amplifying their voices; supporting young scholars and practitioners in heritage work; and generating knowledge that informs policy and practice. We're energized to deepen our engagement with the APHEN-ICH network and continue to create platforms for dialogue between academics, policymakers, and heritage communities.