CE visits Hong Kong Baptist University
19.7.2021

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (July 19) visited the School of Chinese Medicine and a creative media and practice facility at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) and met with the HKBU senior management to learn more about the university's latest developments. Accompanied by the Chairman of the Council and the Court of HKBU, Dr Clement Chen, and the President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU, Professor Alexander Wai, Mrs Lam visited the Chinese Medicine Pharmaceutics Laboratory, the centre for cancer and inflammation research and the Chinese medicine specialty clinic to learn more about their development and operation. With advanced equipment and a rich collection of data, the laboratory of the School of Chinese Medicine is a base for modern Chinese medicine treatment and new drug research. The centre for cancer and inflammation research is one of the research centres established by the School, engaging in studies on the causes and treatment of different kinds of common diseases by integrating Chinese medicine theories, clinical experiences of professionals and academics, and modern scientific technologies. Meanwhile, the school also operates a total of 17 clinics across the territory to provide quality Chinese medicine treatment and healthcare services for members of the public. "HKBU is the pioneer of Chinese medicine tertiary education in the city. It established the School of Chinese Medicine early, in 1999, promoting keenly the standardisation, modernisation and internationalisation of Chinese medicine. At present, HKBU's School of Chinese Medicine is the largest Chinese medicine tertiary education institution outside the Mainland. I am pleased that HKBU has been selected as the contractor through open tender to operate the Chinese Medicine Hospital in Tseung Kwan O, which will be the first of its type in Hong Kong and is expected to commence service in 2025. In addition, the university has taken part in Health@InnoHK, a research cluster specialising in healthcare technology in the Hong Kong Science Park. I hope that HKBU will continue to give full play to its experience in Chinese medicine teaching, training, scientific research and service operations to contribute to the initiative of the current-term Government to incorporate Chinese medicine into the Hong Kong healthcare system to advance the development of Chinese medicine," Mrs Lam said. Next, Mrs Lam and the others proceeded to the Department of Music to visit the Laboratory for Immersive Arts and Technology, a creative media and practice (CMP) facility. CMP is one of HKBU's interdisciplinary clusters, and the laboratory, which meets the international standard in 3D immersive audio and video with multiple screens installed, is the first of its kind in the tertiary education sector in Asia. It enables the application of technology in artistic creation, enhances cross-disciplinary creation and interaction and deepens audience engagement and experience. Mrs Lam said that Hong Kong has advantages in both culture and arts and innovation and technology (I&T), and that the nation's 14th Five-Year Plan clearly supports Hong Kong to develop as an international I&T hub and an exchange centre for arts and culture between China and the rest of the world. Noting that the integration of arts and technology has become a new global trend, she said that development of art tech has been proposed in her 2020 Policy Address. The Government has set up an interdepartmental task force to formulate strategies and measures to develop and promote art tech, and encourage the active participation of relevant sectors. Ends/Monday, July 19, 2021 Issued at HKT 20:16 NNNN