Over 200 alumni and guests from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Shenzhen and Hong Kong joined the Alumni Reunion Dinner in Shenzhen on 31 May to mark the 30th anniversary of City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK).

The event was an excellent platform for fostering and learning about CityUHK’s latest developments alongside the University’s senior leadership team.

When mingling with guests, Professor Freddy Boey, CityUHK President, thanked alumni for their support. He was deeply touched that they had attended the dinner despite the inclement weather.

During his speech, he encouraged alumni to maintain connections with each other and to have “more communication and more interaction” with CityUHK in support of future plans.

During the event, President Boey talked about the Ministry of Education’s approval for establishing CityUHK (Dongguan), expressing his hope that the new institution would uphold CityUHK’s educational philosophy for nurturing innovative talents. He also talked about innovative and impactful projects initiated by CityUHK this year such as the Academy of Innovation and the Institute of Digital Medicine.

He added that CityUHK was committed to leading students and faculty to face the world, actively forging partnerships with world-renowned universities. He cited CityUHK’s newly signed MoUs with the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and CentraleSupélec, Paris-Saclay University, plus new areas of collaboration with Cornell University in the United States to enhance academic exchanges.

During the dinner, President Boey, alumni and guests toasted each other, took photos together, and enjoyed a performance by master calligrapher and CityUHK alumnus Dr Duan Junping, who created a commemorative inscription for CityUHK’s 30th anniversary, a traditional Chinese zither rendition of the historic composition "Flowing Water" by the renowned guqin player, Ms Tian Lei, and a lucky draw.

The day after the dinner, the Alumni Relations Office arranged for the Executive Committees (ExCo) members of the alumni associations, which are supporting units of the dinner, to visit CityUHK (Dongguan). The group of over 30 participants toured various parts of the Dongguan campus, including the academic building, student residence hall, CityUHK (DG) Lodge, and the International Center, gaining insight into the campus's construction and planning. The ExCo members expressed their pride and emotion regarding CityUHK's latest development and are eagerly looking forward to participating in future events hosted by CityUHK.

CityUHK values its relationship with alumni. As this year marks CityUHK’s 30th anniversary, the Alumni Relations Office will organise several alumni networking events as usual to strengthen alumni networks. For example, the University is planning to host two alumni reunion dinner in Beijing and Shanghai in August and September respectively. In addition, the University will host Alumni Homecoming on 2 November, welcoming all CityUHK alumni to join.