Fulbright Research Forum: Hong Kong and Macau

Every year the Hong Kong America Center, directed by Dr. Glenn Shive, hosts the Fulbright Research forum which invites the East Asia Senior Scholar Researchers and also the Fulbright Research group from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. This year it was a large contingency of incredible people who have dedicated their lives to East Asia and to fulfill projects that will change how we think about Asia. More than 100 people in attendance, including scholars from the various universities in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. The forum featured guest speakers, while also inviting panelist to discuss Sino-American relation. Discussions on the Hong Kong two identities, was an incredible topic. While HK belongs to China, there are still marked differences in the socio political behavior of both HK and China. Meeting some of the most influential people of Hong Kong was truly invigorating. The second wealtheast man or one of the "billionaires" of Hong Kong hosted one of our luncheons where discussions were raised on identity, culture and what it means to do business in Hong Kong.

The forum also required segments of work and research, collaborating with others in defining and synthesizing the research for the region. I participated as a facilitator for the Social Change and Education round table. I had the opportunity to review and understand projects from a wide range of scopes, diversifying over the East Asia region.  The research ranged from educational programs for minority groups in China, such as the Han and Yi people, to providing digital education in a texting capacity.

Over the four days of discussions, between forums, panels, luncheons and work. We managed to see a few of the sights and those were incredible.  Our ferry ride to Macau on the "jet foil" was fun and fast!  We arrived quick and checked immigration. That evening, I ate some of the most fantastic Macanese food- a mixture of Macau and Portuguese, amazing food!  Macau also hosted several round tables discussing the viability of this island nation, the economy and growth within. The island is also a mixture of beautiful colonial, Spaniard architecture mixed with Chinese themes. (My camera is on the mend, so as soon as I can retrieve these pictures, I will post more on the amazing features of Macau). 

The forum also featured the visit and guest appearances of high officials from the Embassies in China  and Hong Kong, also the US State Department. Having dinner with our US Ambassador in his home was absolutely beautiful....Talk about having the best view in town!  It was breathtaking. During the event Ambassador Young spoke highly of the Fulbright as the flagship program the US offers to nations around the world. He is honored to have the privilege of inviting Fulbrights to Hong Kong. It is an honor for me to serve our nation as a Fulbright Scholar, representing the values of our great nation. The closure of the event came fast, as the projects and research design were evaluated, analyzed and many great recommendations and studies for future arose from the discussions. It was now time to go back to our respective posts.....for it was an amazing journey.