A MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD
A Legacy of Discovery,
A future of Sustainability
Professor Shunlin Liang
Chair Professor & Head,
Department of Geography
It is with great pride and warmth that I welcome alumni, colleagues, students, and friends of the Department of Geography to the celebration of our 95th Anniversary. Since 1931, our Department has stood as a place of curiosity and rigour — mapping landscapes, understanding people and place, and asking the kinds of questions that shape how we live with our environment. Across nearly a century, generations of geographers from HKU have carried our mission far beyond the campus, into classrooms, laboratories, governments, and communities across Hong Kong and the world.
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As we gather in November 2026 to mark this milestone, we do so not only to look back, but to look forward. The challenges of our time — climate change, urban transformation, biodiversity loss, and a rapidly shifting global landscape — demand the very best of geographical thinking. I warmly invite you to join us at our anniversary events, contribute your memories and photographs to our forthcoming history book, and stand with us as we continue advancing geographical knowledge for a more sustainable future. Your presence and your stories are what make this Department what it is.
CELEBRATION PROGRAMME
Anniversary Events
Signature events across late November 2026 — uniting scholarship, ceremony, and reunion.
DEPARTMENTAL OPEN HOUSE
Welcome Home to the Department
Join us in the Department of Geography for an afternoon of reunion, conversation, and group photos, followed by the Anniversary Ceremony. A shuttle bus will transport participants to the gala venue.
29 November 2026
14:00-17:00
CLL, Room10.10, 10/F, Jockey Club Tower, HKU
95TH ANNIVERSARY CEREMONY
A Commemoration of Heritage
A late-afternoon ceremony marking the launch of our Departmental History Book and the premiere of the commemorative anniversary video — a moment to honour our 95 years of teaching, research, and discovery.
29 November 2026
15:30-16:30
CLL, Room10.10, 10/F, Jockey Club Tower, HKU
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Symposium on Geographical Research: Climate, Society, and Urban Development
A two-day academic conference bringing together leading scholars from around the world. Featuring discussions on the geographies shaping our future.
29 Nov - 1 Dec 2026
09:00-20:00
The University of Hong Kong
Full programme and registration details will be announced in the coming months.
DEPARTMENTAL HISTORY BOOK
Geography at HKU:
A Century of Education,
Research, Scholarship,
and Transformation
Writing 95 Years into a Single Volume
95
YEARS OF LAGACY
1,000+
ALUMNI INVITED
∞
STORIES TO TELL
Our Editorial Team is currently producing a commemorative history of the Department — tracing the people, fieldwork, and ideas that have defined HKU Geography since 1931. From the earliest cartography classes to today's research on climate, cities, and sustainability, the book will weave together archives, photographs, and personal recollections. To make this volume truly ours, we are calling on alumni, former staff, and friends of the Department to contribute their memories and historical photographs. Selected submissions will be featured in the printed book and in the official anniversary video.
Submission deadline: 10 Sep 2026
© 2026 by Department of Geography, The University of Hong Kong.