The Department of English at City Polytechnic of Hong Kong was founded in 1989. Since then, the Department has developed into a leading centre for English studies in Asia. It has an outstanding research and teaching profile and offers a wide range of courses and programmes in linguistics and literature. The Department reaches its 35th anniversary in 2024 and intends to recognize this milestone by extending a warm welcome to our alumni, colleagues, donors, friends and external partners to celebrate our 35th anniversary. 

In June 2024, the Department will relaunch its Gold Leaf Seminar Series and host an Anniversary Gala at the Creative Media Centre (CMC). The Department launched its Gold Leaf Seminar Series on our 30th Anniversary, inviting distinguished former Professors at the Department of English to offer talks in celebration of our rich history. This Seminar Series attracted international scholars and reunited some of the TESOL teachers who had graduated from our programmes. The event was a great success and met with a very positive response. The Department wishes to recreate this success by relaunching the Gold Leaf Seminar Series during 4–6 June 2024. 

We are honoured to have the following guest speakers joining the 35th Anniversary Gold Leaf Seminar Series –

• Professor Jack Richards, Sydney University
• Professor Vijay Bhatia, Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Professor Rodney Jones, University of Reading 
• Professor Stephen Regan, Durham University 
• Professor Cao Li, Tsinghua University 
• Professor Su, Tsu-Chung, National Taiwan Normal University

In addition, the Department extends a cordial welcome to Professor Shirley Geok-lin Lim, a distinguished poet and scholar from the University of California, Santa Barbara, who will offer a poetry reading to crown our 35th Anniversary Gala. Professor Lim’s friendship and goodwill towards the Department of English has been invaluable in supporting our students, notably as a host and contributor to our Halfway Home magazine.

Together, these events mark a public celebration of the Department of English’s 35-year tradition of internationally recognized strengths in teaching, research and wider benefits to Hong Kong and beyond.

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