CUHK Research

3 CUHK RESEARCH FOREWORD The Chinese University of Hong Kong celebrates its fiftieth anniversary in 2013. While 50 years is just an eye’s blink when measured against the history of many European universities with medieval foundations, our first 50 years occurred in an age in which the phenomenal growth in knowledge, the rapid transmission of information, and the global spread of learning have taken place at a speed that has never been witnessed before in human history. We are glad and grateful that our research has achieved much worthy of note and mention in the realm of higher learning within this compact but exciting timeframe. Such achievement is the result of the genius and diligence of successive generations of academics and students in the University, the support of the government as well as institutional and individual funders. In particular, the unique position of Hong Kong, situated at the convergence of East and West, as well as the traditional and the modern, has provided for a milieu that stimulates intellectual growth. Academic research began at the Chinese University as soon as the University came into being in 1963. The fledgling institution aimed to become a comprehensive seat of learning with dual emphasis on teaching and research. Right from the onset, research facilities and personnel in both the sciences and the humanities were put in place as much as resources would allow, and the first fruits of these early pioneers soon attracted more researchers of international standing to join the ranks of the academics here. As most academics would agree, research blooms where fine scholars congregate, and where encouragement exists in terms of both policy and resource allotment. This research culture has taken root at the Chinese University since its early days. This volume, published on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of the University, features samples of the best known success stories in CUHK research, and the scholars credited for their achievements. The research projects described in the ensuing pages have been selected not only for their academic merit and innovation but, more importantly, for their significance in the greater context of human progress and social relevance. In addition to CUHK research projects that have won local, national and international accolades, our standing in the global community of researchers has been much enhanced by joint ventures and other forms of collaborative efforts with national agencies and leading research institutions worldwide. There is certainly no ne plus ultra in academic research. We at The Chinese University of Hong Kong are fully convinced that our achievement thus far, presented here with joy and pride, provides only the foundation for further discoveries, greater inventions, and more cutting-edge revelations that will transpire in the days to come. Our faith in scientific progress, and our commitment to truth via knowledge, will urge us on to pursue our research with redoubled zeal and vigour. Research remains the bedrock to which CUHK is anchored as we stride towards new frontiers. Prof. Fanny M . C. Cheung Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research)