Welcoming its first batch of freshmen, an inaugural public high school co-established by Shenzhen and Hong Kong aims to cultivate innovative talent from an early stage and bolster the mainland’s basic education with Hong Kong resources.

In a modern campus situated in Shenzhen, about 630 freshmen of the Affiliated Mingde Senior High School of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) (Shenzhen) embarked on a journey on Monday towards their dream universities.

The only affiliated high school of CUHK (Shenzhen), the school is jointly managed by the CUHK (Shenzhen) Basic Education Group and Shenzhen Mingde Experimental School Group.

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The school was inaugurated at the beginning of the year. All of its 1,800 students participated in an opening ceremony on Monday.

With classic red brick architecture and modern facades, the campus in Shenzhen's Futian district was designed by renowned Hong Kong architect Wang Weijen, who also designed the CUHK (Shenzhen) campus.

Breaking away from traditional campus layouts, it features a horizontally arranged integrated building complex connected by aerial walkways. Nestled against the mountains, the various functional areas are distributed in a staggered layout that follows the natural terrain.

CUHK is among the top 10 universities in Asia and top 50 in the world, and the undergraduate admission scores of CUHK (Shenzhen) rank among the top in Guangdong province.

Offering strong support in resource sharing, talent development, curriculum provision, and resource expansion, CUHK (Shenzhen) aims to develop the affiliated school into a high-quality talent base for both CUHK and CUHK (Shenzhen).

Through joint research projects, university researchers will guide the students to enhance their academic skills. Students will also be able to engage with prestigious scientists and industry leaders through various activities, as well as visit the laboratories of Nobel Prize winners to experience how cutting-edge research is conducted.

Within the school, about 20 laboratories will be built to focus on the applications of artificial intelligence (AI), guiding students to carry out innovative scientific and engineering practices. Shenzhen-based internet giant Tencent will also support the laboratories’ integration with strategic emerging industries.  

In addition to the basic curriculum of normal domestic high schools, the school will also offer courses that align with the higher education systems of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and overseas areas, supporting students in pursuing diverse pathways for further education.

Zhang Yi, who oversees student affairs at the school, said these student cultivation modes are pioneering among public high schools on the Chinese mainland. “Our goal is to provide students with greater learning autonomy, guiding them to explore the world at an earlier time and help solve real problems,” he said.

This approach is also aligned with the latest developments in technology and industry, he said. While still minors, some talented high school students already possess many valuable ideas, and the school hopes to facilitate them in bringing those ideas to fruition.

He describes the collaboration as a powerful alliance that combines the strengths of CUHK (Shenzhen) in academic research and high-end talent with Mingde Group's expertise in scientific and engineering education as well as curriculum reform.

Established in 2021, Mingde Group offers primary and middle school education to 7,000 students with four campuses across Futian district. Eyeing closer collaboration with CUHK (Shenzhen), it will establish a new campus with the university in the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone.

Hong Kong architect Wang Weijen said he has efficiently utilized the space to create a compact yet multifunctional campus that caters to high school students’ development needs.

He said a number of Hong Kong architects, including himself, have engaged in the renovation of numerous primary and middle schools in Shenzhen, giving rise to a new type of modern and space-efficient campus.

Envisioning deeper collaboration between Shenzhen and Hong Kong in basic education, he hopes that Hong Kong's successful experiences can benefit more Shenzhen students.

Sun Baoqi, a senior student who transferred to the newly established affiliated school from another high school under the Mingde Group, said both the campus environment and teaching resources there are better than at his previous school.

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He hopes to enroll in an interdisciplinary program in biology and computer science at CUHK (Shenzhen) in a year, which would offer broader employment prospects.

Li, mother of a sophomore student at the school, said she is looking forward to clearer policies that would help students at the affiliated school gain admission to CUHK (Shenzhen), which she views as a rising higher education powerhouse in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

She added that she hopes other universities with a similar Hong Kong background will take note of the initiative and introduce world-class resources from Hong Kong universities into the mainland’s basic education system.

Contact the writer at bingcun@chinadailyhk.com