Chung Chi College, CUHK and Muse College, CUHK(SZ), together with Choi Kai Yau College at the University of Macao, jointly organised the 11-day “FC Lo Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Study Tour” on 20-30 May, 2024. This programme provided an excellent opportunity for over 70 students and teachers from the three colleges to gain in-depth understanding of the past and future development of the Greater Bay Area (GBA), while also demonstrating the intensification of the close communication and cooperation between the two CUHK campuses in Hong Kong and Shenzhen.

The study tour was generously sponsored by a CUHK alumnus (Chung Chi College, Geography, 1970), Mr. Lo Foo-cheung, a renowned patriot and pro-Hong Kong entrepreneur known as the “China Can King”. In the past 40 years, with close attention to the GBA’s regional development, Mr. Lo has been actively engaged in the economic and industrial development of our country, ever since the “reform and open door” policy was first introduced. Last year, he sponsored the first study tour, raising the size of the sponsorship this year in order to double the number of participants, with the aim of enabling more students to learn about the GBA and broaden their horizons through immersive city tours and interactions that offer opportunities for exchange; and at the same time to enhance their mutual understanding and cultivate friendships, nurturing a fresh force for the GBA’s development in the future.

During the study tour, participants from the three universities visited seven cities in the region – in sequence, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Guangzhou, Zhongshan, Zhuhai, Macau and Hong Kong – attending several lectures and seminars. They visited urban planning exhibitions and history museums in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao to understand the urban development and cultural history of the GBA; industry-leading enterprises such as Huawei, BYD and BGI to deeply explore innovative technological development in the “Silicon Delta”; and renowned universities such as the two CUHK campuses in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou and the University of Macao for in-depth exchanges with local teachers and students.

The students and teachers from the three colleges remarked that the study tour was a wonderful opportunity for them to learn about the rapid and booming development of the GBA, and to personally experience the tightly interconnected nature of the GBA cities, enabling them to not only gain a comprehensive understanding of the present situation and future prospects for regional development but also enhance the interaction and collaboration among members of the three universities in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. This trip has hopefully inspired participants to be actively engaged in making important contributions to the coordinated development of the GBA in the future.