Bulletin No. 1, 2024

“Home is where the heart is,” said Professor Jin Sheng-hwa when she was appointed an honorary fellow in 2012. “It is a sanctuary where one finds solace, strength, and a strong sense of belonging. It provides a sense of stability in the ever-changing world. CUHK is my home, a place of eternal beauty, deep connections, and comfort. It is where my heart lives.” Professor Jin only started taking English lessons while in junior secondary school in Taiwan. When her family moved to Hong Kong, she found it hard to cope with the English curriculum. But she made an all-out effort to catch up with her peers, and even set her sights on becoming an English major at university. In the late 1950s, she was accepted into the Department of English of Chung Chi College, one of the three constituent colleges from which CUHK was later founded. Professor Jin’s college life was not confined to classrooms. She participated in the Inter-collegiate Debate Competition, representing the Mandarin-speaking group and performing so well that she went from third to first position in her team, which she led to victory in the overall championship. A year after graduation, Professor Jin went to the US to study for her master’s degree. Upon returning to Chung Chi College two years later, she became a tutor in the Department of Religion and Philosophy, where she was responsible for arranging course schedules for students. In the department office, she found herself sitting directly opposite Professor Lao Sze-kwang, who had been the chief judge when she competed in debates. “Little did I know I would become his colleague several years later. I had a happy time working there,” Professor Jin recalls. While tutoring in the Department of Religion and Philosophy, she also became a “trailblazer” for establishing the Department of Translation at CUHK. Professor Jin explains how it happened: “At that time, each department had to submit a Where the heart lives   35