Contributor: Tommy Yeung
Hong Kong has a pivotal role in international context, and it is also a city with unique culture and rich history which deserves to be savoured and explored. However rapid the “Pearl of the Orient” has changed, it is left with many anecdotes which hold clues to its past. As such, the I·CARE Hong Kong Cultural Tours Project has been conducted for years to facilitate university students to discover the stories of this city. In addition, this project offers free cultural tours to entertain secondary school students (priority is given to those of ethnic minorities, being new immigrants, in deprived learning condition or from low-income families) and interested CUHK members. All participants will develop an enhanced sense of identification to this city.
The tour themes and corresponding districts for the Hong Kong Cultural Tours Project of this academic year included 1) Interaction between Railway and the Formation of Market (Tai Po Market); 2) Development of the Healthcare System in Hong Kong (Kowloon City); 3) Transformation in Hong Kong’s Popular Culture (Mong Kok), and 4) The Revitalisation of Old Urban Districts (Kwun Tong). 28 admitted CUHK students have already completed professional docent training in the first term.
After the trainings, participants were engaged in site visits to the designated districts, tour route planning as well as script writing in accordance with the theme selected by the respective teams earlier on. Besides, they attended the “Halfway Project Presentation Day” on 12 January 2023, during which they gave a progress update and shared with each other their experience in preparation of the tours, rehearsed in team setting, and learned about the arrangement of the rest of this project. To further practise guiding skills, participants have finished mock tours in February under the supervision of experienced tutors. Since March, they have been formally serving as docents to lead tours for secondary school students to explore the heritage and culture of Hong Kong. Until now, more than 10 tours have been completed.
To gain an understanding of the previous themes of the I·CARE Hong Kong Cultural Tours Project, you may click here for the tour maps (electronic version) designed by the outgoing participants. The maps of the last academic year’s project are now published and will be distributed in CUHK campus for free later. The tour themes and corresponding districts include: 1) Funeral Customs and Development (Hung Hom); and 2) Aesthetics in Ancient and Modern Architecture (Tsim Sha Tsui).
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