Recently, the City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan) has been approved for establishment. With this, the total number of collaborative universities in Guangdong has reached six. Among them, there are four Chinese mainland-Hong Kong collaborative universities and two Sino-foreign collaborative universities, making Guangdong a leading region for fostering educational partnerships. What factors contribute to Guangdong's role as fertile ground for collaborative education, and what transformations will these collaborative universities bring to the Greater Bay Area?
Currently, there are four major bay areas in the world: the New York Bay Area, the San Francisco Bay Area, the Tokyo Bay Area, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Compared to the other three established bay areas, the emerging Greater Bay Area ranks at the forefront in terms of area, population, population density, and GDP.
The development of the Greater Bay Area relies heavily on high-quality and talented individuals. Before the influx of Hong Kong universities, Guangdong already boasted prestigious educational institutions like Sun Yat-sen University, South China University of Technology, and Jinan University. However, it's evident that these institutions alone cannot meet the talent demand of the GBA. On the other hand, Hong Kong boasts world-renowned universities such as the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and the City University of Hong Kong. Additionally, Macao has quality institutions like the University of Macao and the Macao University of Science and Technology.Therefore, it's natural that there would be a necessity for cooperation and exchange in higher education among the three provincial-level administrative regions of the GBA.
In 2023, the GBA's economic output surpassed 14 trillion yuan, with Guangdong witnessing a net increase of 1.728 million business entities, reaching a total of 18 million. Among these, individual businesses saw a net increase of 1.11 million, exceeding 10 million in total, while enterprises totaled 7.8 million, constituting one-seventh of the national total. With a population exceeding 150 million, Guangdong welcomed 777 million tourists last year, generating tourism revenue exceeding 950 billion yuan, ranking first nationwide.
The abundant population and thriving businesses of Guangdong provide Hong Kong with a vast hinterland for its universities. To attain a significant position on the global stage of higher education, Hong Kong universities must venture northward.
The newly established City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan) is strategically located in the Songshan Lake Science City, the pioneering area of the comprehensive national science center of the GBA. This area boasts a concentration of major scientific facilities, Guangdong provincial laboratories, and leading technology enterprises, offering high-end innovative resources.
From the establishment of a Hong Kong campus by Shenzhen University earlier this year to the plans of Sun Yat-sen University to set up a higher research institute in Hong Kong, Chinese mainland universities are expressing their aspirations to nurture international talents. Likewise, Hong Kong demonstrates its eagerness to attract quality talent.
Among the world's four major bay areas, the GBA stands out for its uniqueness: one country, two systems, and three customs territories, setting a global precedent. Encouragingly, we observe Hong Kong universities gaining recognition and acceptance among more Chinese mainland candidates, parents, educational institutions, and enterprises. In 2023, the University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen) witnessed its undergraduate graduation rate surpassing 80%, reaching 80.92%, a 2.9 percentage point increase compared to the previous year. Among 963 graduating students, 21.70% secured places in the top 10 universities worldwide for further studies, while 71.55% pursued degrees from the top 50 universities. Regarding employment, the average annual salary for the class of 2023 undergraduates reached 170,800 yuan, with 0.75% earning over 500,000 yuan annually, 7.46% earning between 300,000 and 500,000 yuan, and 28.36% earning between 200,000 and 300,000 yuan (an 11.4 percentage point increase compared to the previous year), and 46.27% earning between 100,000 and 200,000 yuan. Hong Kong universities' expansion into the Chinese mainlandhas yielded remarkable results in both student enrollment and career prospects.
Source:Yangcheng Evening News
Why does the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area cultivate the soil for co-operation in running schools?
Recently, the City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan) was approved for establishment. At present, there are 6 cooperatively-run universities in Guangdong. Among them, there are four mainland-Hong Kong cooperatively-run universities and two Chinese-foreign cooperatively-run universities, ranking first in the country. Why has Guangdong become a fertile ground for running schools, and what changes will the cooperative universities bring to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area?
At present, there are four major bay areas in the world, namely the New York Bay Area, the San Francisco Bay Area, the Tokyo Bay Area and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Compared with the other three established bay areas, the emerging Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is among the best in terms of area, population, population density and GDP.
The construction and development of the Greater Bay Area is inseparable from high-quality talents. Before the "Hong Kong school goes north", Guangdong already has Sun Yat-sen University, South China University of Technology, Jinan University and other old powerhouses, but obviously can not meet the demand for talents in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, while Hong Kong has the University of Hong Kong, the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the City University of Hong Kong and a number of world-renowned universities, Macao also has the University of Macau, Macau University of Science and Technology and other high-quality universities. Therefore, the exchange and cooperation of higher education between the three provincial-level administrative regions of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has naturally become inevitable for development.
In 2023, the total economic output of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will exceed 14 trillion yuan, and the number of business entities in Guangdong will increase by 1.728 million to 18 million, of which the number of individual industrial and commercial households will increase by 1.11 million, the total number will exceed 10 million, and the number of enterprises will be 7.8 million, accounting for 1/7 of the country. Guangdong has a population of more than 150 million, and the province received 777 million tourists last year, with a total tourism income of more than 950 billion yuan, ranking first in the country.
The large number of people and enterprises provides a vast hinterland for Hong Kong universities, and if Hong Kong universities want to gain a pivotal position on the world higher education map, "going north" has become an inevitable choice.
The City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan), which has just been decided to "settle down", is located in Songshan Lake Science City, the pilot launch area of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Comprehensive National Science Center, surrounded by a number of high-end innovation resources such as large scientific facilities, laboratories in Guangdong Province, and leading science and technology enterprises.
From the establishment of the Hong Kong campus of Shenzhen University at the beginning of this year to the plan of Sun Yat-sen University to set up a research institute for advanced study in Hong Kong, on the one hand, it is full of the expectations of mainland universities to cultivate international talents, and on the other hand, it also shows Hong Kong's desire for high-quality talents.
Among the four major bay areas in the world, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is the most unique: one country, two systems, and three customs territories, setting a precedent in the world. Fortunately, we see that Hong Kong schools are becoming more well-known and recognized by mainland candidates, parents, higher education institutions and enterprises. In 2023, the proportion of undergraduate graduates from Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen will exceed 80% for the first time, reaching 80.92%, a year-on-year increase of 2.9 percentage points. Among the 963 graduates, 21.70% entered the top 10 universities in the world university rankings, and 71.55% pursued degrees in the top 50 universities in the world university rankings. Among the employed 2023 undergraduate graduates, the average annual salary is 170,800 yuan, 0.75% of the annual salary is greater than or equal to 500,000 yuan, 7.46% of the annual salary is between 300,000 yuan and 500,000 yuan, 28.36% is between 200,000 yuan and 300,000 yuan (up 11.4 percentage points year-on-year), and 46.27% is between 100,000 yuan and 200,000 yuan. After Hong Kong universities entered the mainland, they have achieved good results in terms of both students and further studies and employment.
Reporter Sun Wei
Picture: The official website of each university
Translation | Liu Jiahui