Five years since the launch of the Greater Bay Area Higher Education Development Plan, educational resources are efficiently shared, and talent empowers each other bidirectionally. We interviewed Professor Chen Zhi, President of Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University (BNBU), the first university jointly established by the higher education sectors of the Mainland and Hong Kong. BNBU integrates liberal arts education with professional training, nurturing talents who are "rooted in Chinese culture yet have their eyes open to the world." Its curriculum features traditional cultural courses such as Yayue (ancient court music), Guqin, and Chinese archery, subtly fostering cultural confidence among students.
Over its 20-year journey, BNBU has cultivated more than 20,000 graduates, of whom over 80% pursue further studies at QS top 100 universities, and 60% of them return to the Greater Bay Area to contribute to regional development. The "1+1+1" Joint Research Collaboration Scheme," launched at the university in 2025, is expected to invest nearly RMB 90 million, with the first year supporting 15 cross-boundary research projects between Guangdong and Hong Kong in cutting-edge fields including data science, AI, green technology, and biomedicine. Among the nearly 40 enterprises incubated on campus are research teams revitalized by Hong Kong capital, as well as projects in the low-altitude economy and sports health monitoring in collaboration with Huawei and the General Administration of Sport—vivid examples of synergistic development of innovation and technology industries between Mainland and Hong Kong.
Looking ahead, BNBU's newly established Liberal Arts and AI College deeply integrates artificial intelligence with whole-person education, cultivating holistic talents who excel at harnessing tools. With the recent openings of its London Center and Boston Center, the university leverages its global alumni network to attract international talent. From the Construction of "University Town" to the 17 BNBU scholars listed among Stanford's top 2% scientists worldwide, this campus—intertwined with its community and resonating with the Bay Area—is using education as a bridge to invite global talents to co-create a bright future for the Greater Bay Area.
(Reporter: Liu Yu | Videographer: Jack Wang | Video Editor: Felicia Li, Ian Lau | Producer: Liu Yu, Felicia Li | Editor: Felicia Li, Liu Yu)
