Happenings

The Centre’s Rural Revitalisation project has won the Faculty KE Awards 2023 with its impact on enhancing civil society’s capacity and readiness for sustainability attainment using Rural Revitalisation as the action domain. You may find out more about the Project and its impact with this link: https://www.ke.hku.hk/assets/doc/KEAward/2023/SocialSciences.pdf The Faculty Knowledge Exchange (KE) Awards were introduced in 2011 to recognise each Faculty’s outstanding KE accomplishment that has made demonstrable economic, social or cultural impacts to benefit the community, business/industry, or partner organisations. The selection criteria include quality of the underpinning research and the impact with support of evidence, effectiveness of the engagement process with the community or partner organisations, and demonstration of cross- and multi-disciplinary impacts. Congratulations to the inter-disciplinary team: Professor Wai Fung Lam and team members – Dr Winnie Wai Yi Law, Ms Katie Hiu Lai Chick, Mr Ryan Siu Him Leung, Ms Sianna Si In Yiu, Ms Vivian Hoi Shan Leung, Dr Taihua Hu, Ms Iris Pui Yee Man, Mr Leo Ying Yin Li, Ms Yiying Zhang, Dr Vivian Ho Yee Chu, Dr Jessica Marie Williams and Dr Sarah Sau Tung Liao, Centre for Civil Society and Governance; Dr Billy Chi Hang Hau and Professor David Dudgeon, School of Biological Sciences; Professor Ji Chen, Department of Civil Engineering.

We develop technology rooted in human connection that brings people together. As we focus on helping to build the next computing platform, our work across augmented and virtual reality and consumer hardware will deepen that human connection regardless of physical distance and without being tied to devices. The “metaverse” is a set of virtual spaces where you can create and explore with other people who aren’t in the same physical space as you. You’ll be able to hang out with friends, work, play, learn, shop, create and more. It’s not necessarily about spending more time online — it’s about making the time you do spend online more meaningful. The metaverse isn’t a single product one company can build alone. And it won’t be built overnight. Many of these products will only be fully realized in the next 10-15 years, and gives us time to ask the difficult questions about how they should be built. The Centre for Civil Society and Governance of The University of Hong Kong, in partnership with Meta, would like to work with the academic community in the Asia Pacific region to develop solutions-focused research to identify positive approaches in thinking through policy issues, challenges, and opportunities in the metaverse and augmented and virtual reality. The Research Initiative, through a Request for Proposals (RFP), will result in the production of papers from academic institutions, think tanks, and research organizations registered and operational across the Asia Pacific region. Proposals will be reviewed by a selection committee, and the entities whose proposals are selected will receive a research grant.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Hong Kong Chapter has conferred an AIA Hong Kong Citation 2021 to Lai Chi Wo Village in recognition of its significant contributions to architecture and built environment in the Chapter’s region. The HKU Centre for Civil Society and Governance, which has initiated and implemented two consecutive programmes – “Sustainable Lai Chi Wo” and “HSBC Rural Sustainability Programme” – since 2013, is honoured to receive this award at the award ceremony on November 16, 2021 together with other organisations which have been making undaunted efforts in revitalising the desolate historic Hakka village of Lai Chi Wo in the north-eastern New Territories. Lai Chi Wo Village and Tsim Sha Tsui Harbourfront Revitalisation were selected to receive AIA Hong Kong Citations this year for their achievement in promoting the value of architecture in society and for raising public awareness of issues related to the built environment. Lai Chi Wo Village is awarded “for the ongoing collaborative efforts of individuals and organizations in heritage conservation of this historic Hakka walled settlement including revitalisation of its traditional farming and cultural landscapes together with a number of the houses, thereby promoting sustainable rural community development and encouraging effective control over rural land use in the New Territories”. Led by the HKU team and Lai Chi Wo Pui Shing Tong Committee (the owner), other awardees include The Hong Kong Countryside Foundation, The Conservancy Association, Produce Green Foundation, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC), The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, and the Countryside Conservation Office of the HKSAR Government. With the support from HSBC, HKU Centre for Civil Society and Governance launched the “Sustainable Lai Chi Wo Programme” in 2013 in collaboration with the local villagers, non-profits, experts in related fields, and volunteers. The programme aims to replenish and revitalise the disappearing social and natural capitals of the desolate traditional farming landscape at Lai Chi Wo. After the “Sustainable Lai Chi Wo Programme” successfully completed in 2017, the Centre has received further support from HSBC and launched a new phase of the programme titled “HSBC Rural Sustainability” which focuses on mobilising actions of the local community by socio-economic models emphasising the role of rural community for the benefit of Hong Kong society. The project proudly received the inaugural Special Recognition for Sustainable Development in the 2020 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation and the award presentation ceremony will be held on November 28, 2021 at Lai Chi Wo. For project details, please visit https://ccsg.hku.hk/ruralsd/ The AIA is based in Washington, D.C., and has been the world’s leading professional membership association for licensed architects, emerging professionals and allied partners since 1857. Photos: Click here to download For media enquiries, please contact: Ms Sianna Yiu, Centre for Civil Society and Governance, HKU (Tel: 9732-0103; email: sianna@hku.hk)

We are thrilled to announce that our sustainable rural revitalisation project at Lai Chi Wo has been awarded the prestigious Special Recognition for Sustainable Development in the 2020 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. The project is built on HSBC Rural Sustainability Programme initiated since 2013 and implemented by the Centre for Civil Society and Governance with full support from the Lai Chi Wo Village and HSBC. The project is featured in the first line of UNESCO’s official award announcement. The Jury applauded the project’s pioneering approach to rural sustainability which “transforms notions of heritage practice from its conventional focus on material conservation to encompass living heritage in all its manifestations… the project demonstrates the importance of interweaving nature and cultural heritage in setting a new urban-rural sustainability agenda for Hong Kong SAR and beyond.” The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation programme recognizes exemplary conservation efforts by individuals and organizations in the region. To acknowledge more prominently the contribution of cultural heritage to sustainable development within the framework of Agenda 2030, UNESCO in early 2020 introduced the new Special Recognition for Sustainable Development with an updated set of Awards Criteria to recognize outstanding conservation projects that have made significant contribution to sustainable development. The award is a due recognition of the collaborative efforts of many individuals and organizations who share a strong commitment to sustainability and are undaunted to act on the commitment. We proudly share the honour and joy with Hong Kong Countryside Foundation, The Conservancy Association, Produce Green Foundation, Mr. Wong Kam Sing, GBS, JP, and numerous volunteers and friends who have helped us get through many challenging times. Without the solid partnership, we would not have accomplished the seemingly impossible mission.