As a student majoring in Liberal Arts and minoring in Chinese supplementary language, this program felt tailor made for me. Indeed, the morning classes helped me improve my Chinese proficiency, and the colloquial exchanges with the friendly tutors allowed me to boost my conversational skills.
What is exceptional about this program is that the learning curve is not limited to Chinese fluency and language competency. While some people in the cohort were discovering Chinese culture and customs, for my own account (as a French/Chinese person), the program felt like digging deeper into my roots, and very explicitly uncovering my cultural heritage that would have been left unexplored if it were not for this program. Indeed, our afternoon cultural activities and weekend outings allowed me to see “my own” country with my own eyes; every place I went to both felt familiar yet foreign. This is when I understood how much the program meant to me, and it helped me outline a mindset I presently follow. I discovered that I cannot limit myself to what I already know, or what I think I know, but rather, I ought to embrace everything I see with no value judgment and absorb as much as I can – whether it be language, landscapes, habits, friendships and much more.
I believe the success of this program was thanks to STU, our welcoming university in Shantou, which was an incredible source of knowledge- but even more so thanks to its students, staff, and professors. Through deep conversations with members of the 2025 cohort, teachers and tutors, I found myself constantly pushing the limits of my conscience, and I truly hold that there is no better privilege than to be granted the opportunity to do so. My major in Liberal Arts has raised multiple personal questions concerning my identity, and this program both served as an answer provider as well as a catalyzer for new, more profound questions.
For me, this program truly aligned with the initial purpose of attending university – finding answers within the new questions we ask to ourselves and to the world. The task is undoubtedly challenging- sometimes the feeling of being overwhelmed, not capable enough or physically exhausted can put a limit to how much we are able to absorb. Thankfully, the administration of the Li Ka Shing Arts Initiative made sure we had all the necessary resources to navigate the program comfortably and experience things with an incredible peaceful standing. I strongly feel that this is a life-changing program for many, myself included, and for unique reasons too. I therefore express my most heartfelt gratitude towards the ɬ and STU administrative teams, and to the LKS Foundation, that have made this program possible for so many students and for so long. This program is one that helps manifest the very pillars of intellectual freedom, including direct and indirect transmission of knowledge as well as opportunities to experience spaces, senses, and philosophies. I sincerely hope that more and more students across the world can encounter that same fulfilling privilege of learning.