Likes
Held in a hybrid online-and-offline format on 14 September and 20–21 September, the study tour themed Culture as the Soul, Joint Heritage Conservation: Guangdong-Hong Kong Students Study Tour on Cultural Heritage Practice in the Greater Bay Area was co-organised by the School of Tourism Management, South China Normal University (SCNU) and The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK). Approved under the Ministry of Education’s 2026 Exchange Programme for Teachers and Students among Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao Higher Education Institutions, the programme involved 22 students from EdUHK.
Led by Dr. Lau Suk Man (Liu Shuwen) from the Geography Subject Panel of EdUHK, the 22 students, together with Associate Dean Guo Hua, Dr Wu Ying and postgraduate students specialising in tourism vocational education from the School of Tourism Management, SCNU, travelled to Guangdong for field study. They visited Tangkou Old Market and Cangdong Heritage Conservation Area in Kaiping, as well as the historical block of Pangtang Wuyue in Liwan District, Guangzhou. Within the overseas Chinese hometown market towns, ancient villages and urban historic quarters, the team conducted in-depth investigations into the vibrant practices of urban-rural community building and cultural heritage conservation.
EdUHK students join the pre-study tour online webinar.
As a preliminary session on 14 September, an online lecture on “Land Comprehensive Consolidation and Planning of Tangkou Town” was delivered by Liu Shiyou, a spatial planning consultant for Tangkou. Focusing on the resource endowment, existing challenges and the spatial framework of “one axis, one ring and one belt”, he introduced the implementation of 37 consolidation projects across five categories and concluded with a vision of achieving sustainable development through land consolidation and integrated tourism.
From 20 to 21 September, the students carried out field research in Kaiping and Guangzhou. On the first day, they visited the Wuming Community Construction Studio and the old market town of Tangkou, and then the Cangdong Conservation Area, learning about the micro-renewal of vernacular villages and the living heritage conservation of Kaiping watchtowers. At the exchange and sharing session, Associate Dean Guo Hua from the School of Tourism Management introduced the background of this study camp. She noted that this programme aims to help students from The Education University of Hong Kong learn about Guangdong’s latest initiatives in heritage conservation, local cultural revitalisation and community renewal.
All study tour students learn on-site at Tangkou Space in Kaiping.
On the second day, they explored the Pangtang Wuyue historical block in Guangzhou’s Liwan District, where they visited the participatory community construction team Fanguwuqi and attended an academic symposium on the regeneration and operation of old urban communities.
All study tour students learned on-site at Puntang Wuyue, Guangzhou.
By comparing rural and urban community construction, the students gained a deeper understanding of the principle of “people-oriented, culture as the soul”, and were inspired to contribute to cultural heritage conservation and community building in the Greater Bay Area.
Source from School of Tourism Management
Translated by Wu Ying, Liu Changji
Edited by Huang Jvang, Guo Hua, Li Yiwei
What to read next:
