Professor Wang Gungwu, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong, set up a loan fund in 1992 to provide interest-free loans to students with financial difficulties while he was in office.  More than 200 students have benefitted from this fund since its inception.

On the occasion of the Arts Faculty’s centenary celebration, Professor Wang generously donated another sum to establish the “Wang Gungwu Prizes for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students in History” to recognise students with excellent academic and research achievements.  Professor Wang also decided to re-designate the balance of the loan fund to these prizes. Together with the 1:1 matching grant from the Sixth Government Matching Scheme, a total of HK$400,000 is available under this fund.

Ms Carol Lau, Ms Angharad Fletcher and Dr Henry Choi are the first recipients of the prizes. They received the prizes from Professor Wang in a ceremony held on campus today (December 6).

Ms Lau just graduated with First Class Honours and conducted research with the support of University Undergraduate Research Fellowship on the Cultural Revolution and Child Labour in Hong Kong in the 1950s and 1960s.

Ms Fletcher was awarded the prize for her MPhil thesis on the Australian military nursing and internment during World War II. She is currently undertaking the Joint PhD Programme of HKU and London King’s College.

Since receiving his doctoral degree, Dr Henry Choi has taught at the HKU School of Chinese.  He has released numerous publications and speaks at international conferences about his research on the history of China and Hong Kong. Dr Choi is also committed to promoting the education of Chinese history and culture to the general public and makes use of online platforms to share his views on related topics.

For media enquiries, please contact: Ms Trinni Choy (Assistant Director (Media), Communications and Public Affairs Office) tel: 2859 2606 email: pychoy@hku.hk, or Ms Melanie Wan (Senior Manager (Media), Communications and Public Affairs Office) tel: 2859 2600 email: melwkwan@hku.hk.

Ms Carol Lau receives the prize from Professor Wang Gungwu

Ms Angharad Fletcher receives the prize from Professor Wang Gungwu

Dr Henry Choi receives the prize from Professor Wang Gungwu