HKUST Boundless Article

Western orchestration met unique Chinese philosophical reflections at a captivating concert held at the HKUST Shaw Auditorium on July 5 to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the HKUST Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study (IAS).

This musical feast, “Together We Celebrate: Bright Sheng & Beethoven Across Time,” brought together world-renowned composer Prof. Bright SHENG, IAS Helmut & Anna Pao Sohmen Professor-at-Large, the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra (SZSO), and the SZSO Chorus.

At 3 a.m. on a Monday, the Chia-Wei Woo Academic Concourse would normally be empty. But on World Cup Final morning, it reverberated with the squeals of delight and groans of despair as the two finalists battled it out.

More than 300 HKUST students, faculty and staff traded sleep for football as they gathered on campus for a live screening of the World Cup Final. With Spain facing Argentina for the sport’s biggest prize, the concourse was transformed into an unlikely early-morning stadium, filled with cheers, laughter, and the shared suspense of every attack, save, and near miss.

After dedicating the prime of their lives to HKUST, Professors Emeriti remain an active and valued part of the University community.  Since 2022, a group of devoted former faculty has come together to establish the HKUST Retired Professor Association (RPA), with the hope of continuing to contribute to the University in meaningful ways.

Weiqi, one of the oldest known board games in human history, requires complex strategic maneuvers while also promoting Chinese culture to a broader audience, helping bridge cultures and bring young people together.

HKUST therefore co-hosted the 4th "Four Seas Cup" Hong Kong International University Student Weiqi Competition with the Hong Kong Greater Bay Area Weiqi Promotion Association from July 15 to 18, bringing together top players from universities across China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia.

For Dr. Samuel KWAN, currently Chief Information Officer of the Information Technology Services Office (ITSO), his 35-year journey at HKUST has been more than just a lifelong career. He has also been truly blessed to witness—and help shape—significant chapters in Hong Kong’s technological evolution.

The Long Service Award embodies HKUST’s “can-do” spirit and champions veteran staff members’ lasting contribution to the University, Hong Kong and the nation, laying a firm foundation for progress in academic and social life.

This year, 149 staff members who devoted the prime of their professional lives to HKUST were named in this Hall of Fame. It is especially unique that 28 veterans have been recognized for their 35 years of service in HKUST’s 35th Anniversary celebration.

For more than 15 years, Intimacy of Creativity (IC), founded by HKUST, has challenged the traditional boundaries of music-making by bringing emerging composers and world-class musicians into a shared space for in-depth, collaborative creation.

Presented by the HKUST Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), the 2026 Season continued this bold tradition under the leadership of world-renowned composer Prof. Bright SHENG, the IC founder and Artistic Director, and the IAS Helmut & Anna Pao Sohmen Professor-at-Large at HKUST. 

On April 26, Erhu Master GUO Gan presented the Guo Gan and His Friends International Concert, a world-class musical feast featuring an ensemble of nine renowned musicians from France, Belgium, Mongolia, Switzerland, and Tunisia.

While honoring the roots of Chinese heritage, Guo Gan bridged East and West, and tradition and modernity, as his erhu conversed seamlessly with an array of instruments, including the piano, violin, guitar, bass, bandoneon (button concertina), saz (long-necked lute), and morin khuur (horse-head fiddle).