Apart from striving for academic excellence through the University’s many learning opportunities, it is crucial for students to identify their career interests and discover where their passions lie on their journey of self-exploration.

Led by Professor Hon S CHAN and Dr Peppina LEE Po-lun of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS), eight elite students of the College’s Elite Leaders Programme joined the six-day study tour to Taipei from 31 December 2018 to 5 January 2019. The tour was a real eye-opener for the students in developing their career interests via learning and intellectual exchange, as well as industry visits.

The group had an invaluable opportunity to visit various government units, including the Executive, Legislative and Examination Yuans. Zita TSUI, a Year 2 student majoring in Public Policy and Politics, says she found the visits and exchanges with Taiwanese officials very insightful. “They answered our questions in detail, briefed us on the work they are in charge of, and emphasised the paramount importance of the spirit of separation of the Five Powers in Taiwan. Such experience is very inspiring to me as a politics student and greatly deepened my understanding of the political structure of Taiwan,” says Zita.

Apart from looking at the civil service, the group also took the opportunity to explore the private sector by visiting local well-established companies. Vienna CHAN, a Year 3 student majoring in Digital Television and Broadcasting, highly valued the visit to the Eastern Broadcasting Company. “Visiting Eastern Broadcasting allowed me to compare the mechanism of journalism in Taiwan with that of Hong Kong. The real-life experiences shared by the media professionals there were truly enlightening to potential journalists like me.” The group also visited TECO and Global Views – Commonwealth Publishing Group.

The students attended lectures delivered by faculty of National Chengchi University and were given a solid grounding on Taiwan’s political background. The intellectual exchange between the two institutions was thought-provoking, and led the student group to evaluate and reflect on the current political situation in our own home town.

In general, participating students were fascinated by the culture and politics of Taiwan.