Students visited traditional Chinese architecture in Cheung Chau, focusing on the Cheung Chau Yuk Hui Temple, a Grade I historic building. Through various field research skills, they collected firsthand information to explore and analyze traditional architecture, thereby gaining a deeper understanding of the traditional Chinese culture embodied in it. This experience prompted students to reflect on the inheritance and development of traditional Chinese culture in the context of modernization.

Traditional Chinese buildings constructed during the Qing Dynasty (e.g., Yuk Hui Temple)

By visiting the traditional Chinese architecture in Cheung Chau, students will gain an understanding of the traditional Chinese culture embodied in these buildings.

Understanding the structure of traditional Chinese architecture
Understanding Chinese traditional cultural concepts

Cultivate a positive and responsible learning attitude
Appreciate Chinese culture and cherish traditional Chinese architecture.

Critical thinking ability
Develop students' collaboration skills through group tasks

This is a one-day course that enhance students' learning motivation by traditional activities. They can know the origins and changes of traditional activities through the distribution and active area of different parties and also reflect the relationship between commercialization and heritage.
Students’ logical thinking are trained through the fieldwork in pre-set framework (students need to respond the given enquiry questions by using first-hand data).
(Maximum number of 40 students in each session.)

Cheung Chau downtown that related to Da Jiao.
Pak Tak temple playgroud – Bun festival venue.

To inquiry the relationship between geographical and traditional practices.
To understanding the meaning and changes of traditional practices in modern society.
To guide students to explore interesting issues and to enhance the ability to gather first-hand information.

Spatial Analysis.
Sustainable development – explore the development of traditional festival in commercial society.

To develop a positive and responsible learning attitude.

To learn accepting criticize, appreciation and respect for different views and handle conflicting values.

To know different method for data collection and processing skills
Problem solving skills
Logical thinking

Through first hand data gathered from field research, this course explores the relationship between tourism development and the quality of life of Cheung Chau residents. The core of the course is to reflect on what constitutes responsible tourism. By visiting traditional shops and the Cheung Chau community, students will learn to assess carrying capacity and gentrification in the face of increasing tourist numbers, delving into the social costs behind economic gains.

Different locations in Cheung Chau town

This course aims to guide students in exploring the current state of Cheung Chau as a tourist destination, and to assess the community's capacity to withstand large-scale tourism through field research and theoretical analysis.
1. Exploring the Conflict: Identify and analyze the contradictions between economic benefits and residents' quality of life in Cheung Chau's tourism development.
2. Understanding Carrying Capacity: Apply the concept of "environmental and social carrying capacity" to assess the Cheung Chau community's ability to withstand large-scale tourism.
3. Evaluation Strategy: Explore the effectiveness of existing management measures and provide constructive recommend
4. Building Connections: Enhance students' awareness of their local community and encourage them to consider how to achieve a win-win situation between urban development and cultural preservation.

Students will master the core concepts in the following areas:
Positive and negative impacts of tourism on the economy, environment, and socio-cultural aspects of outlying islands
Tourism carrying capacity: This includes physical carrying capacity, economic carrying capacity and psychological carrying capacity (residents' tolerance towards tourists).
Gentrification: Explore how the influx of unique, artsy shops is altering traditional community structures and rent levels.
Sustainable Development Principles: Understand the theoretical framework for balancing environmental protection, economic feasibility, and social equity.

This course aims to cultivate students' sound values, enabling them to become responsible citizens.
Empathy: Put yourself in the shoes of local residents and understand how they feel about crowding and disturbances during festivals and holidays.
Cultural identity and respect: Cherish intangible cultural heritage such as the Cheung Chau Bun Festival and understand its community significance, rather than simply viewing it as a tourist product.
Environmental responsibility: Reflect on the impact of human behavior on the fragile ecosystems of outlying islands

Through this course, students will develop the following practical and thinking skills:
Field investigation and observation skills: Utilize mapping, people counting and environmental assessment matrices for on-site recording.
Mathematical skills: Organize interview data and price survey data to identify trends and key issues.
Communication and interview skills: Learn how to interview different stakeholders (such as residents, businesses, and tourists) in a polite and professional manner.
Critical thinking skills: Identify conflicts of interest among different stakeholders and to conduct multi-dimensional analysis beyond a single perspective.
Problem-solving ability: Design feasible "balanced solutions" or planning recommendations for specific problems such as traffic congestion and waste pollution.

Students can understand the relationship between historic buildings and its historical grading through observation and references. They can reflect the effectiveness of the heritage conservation policy from the perspective of urban planning, and to evaluate the significance of “Re-use”.

Cheung Chau Rock Carvings (Declared Monuments)
Historical building form Qing Dynasty (Yuk Hui Temple, Tin Hau Temple, The Cheung Chau Fong Bin Hospital)
Other historical building (Cheung chau hospital, Cheung Chau Theatre )

Through visiting different historical buildings in Cheung Chau, students will explore the effectiveness of conservation policies.

Understanding the conservation policies for historical and cultural buildings
Understanding the importance of historical buildings to society and the past lives of Hong Kong citizens.
Consider the balance between development and conservation in order to achieve sustainable development.
Reflecting on the effectiveness of government cultural heritage conservation policies from the perspective of urban planning

Recognizing that every citizen has a responsibility to protect historical buildings, thereby enhancing students' sense of responsibility for protecting historical buildings.
Enhancing national pride by appreciating traditional Chinese architecture.

Information technology skills (using smartphone programs to plan routes)
Critical thinking skills (assessing the effectiveness of the current historical building rating system for the conservation of historical buildings)
Creativity (Proposing suggestions that balance "social development" and "conservation" to achieve sustainable development)

Over a century ago, fishing boats began anchoring and seeking shelter in Cheung Chau Bay, gradually developing into a small fishing village. Fishing was then the main economic activity in Cheung Chau. Hong Kong has undergone several economic transformations: from the rapid development of manufacturing in the 1960s to the rise of financial services in the 1990s, the fishing industry declined. Furthermore, Cheung Chau gradually developed into a tourist destination, and the economic benefits from tourism far outweighed those from fishing. In addition, many of the children of Cheung Chau fishermen chose to move to the city, leading to a decline in the fishing industry. Currently, a group of veteran Cheung Chau fishermen are dedicated to preserving the fishing culture and allowing more young people to understand the lives of fishermen and the history of Hong Kong's fishing industry.

Cheung Chau Sai Wan

To help students understand the culture of fishermen and explore the value of its preservation.

Understand the past contributions of the fishing industry to Hong Kong's economy and explore the reasons for its decline.
By understanding fishermen's culture, we can discuss the importance of cultural preservation and inheritance for social development.

Learn from the perseverance shown by fishermen in the face of natural challenges.
Reflect on the importance of fisheries to national food security

Communication skills (interviewing fishermen to understand their lives)
Critical thinking skills (reflecting on why fishermen's culture is worth preserving)