The
University, from its foundation 40 years ago, has come of age together with
Hong Kong. The lofty ideals of the founding fathers, rooted in a deep
cultural heritage, have defined the direction along which the University
has progressed. As Hong Kong rose from a trading port to a vibrant
metropolis and
financial centre, so too has CUHK advanced from an amalgamation of three
colleges to a comprehensive research university with regional and
international standing.
This
story, at once sentimental and glorious, is told in this pavilion
through images that intertwine the history of Hong
Kong with that of CUHK. The story
begins with the colleges coming together to form the University, and continues
with the physical move onto one campus, then barren, now lush. Reorganization
and consolidation following the Second Fulton Report provided the conditions
for further advances. Research took off, and new faculties came into being
one after another: business administration, medicine, education, engineering.
CUHK pioneered in Hong Kong the credit unit system, bilingual higher
education, general education, a four-year undergraduate curriculum and a
graduate school. As the twenty first century dawns, CUHK has articulated
a vision of
excellence in teaching and research, of diversity in the student body, and
of recognition across the region.