EdUHK and Yan’an University Sign MoU on Fostering Ideological and National Education
On 24 December 2025, The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) and Yan’an University (YAU) held a signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding at YAU’s new campus. The aim of the agreement is to comprehensively advance collaboration between the two universities in areas such as ideological and political education, pedagogy, and physical and arts education, enhancing the development of teachers’ ethics and professionalism, and nurturing future talents with the ‘spirit of an educator.’
Professor John Lee Chi-Kin, President of EdUHK, and Professor Xi Jiami, President of YAU, signed the memorandum on behalf of their respective institutions. Both parties expressed the hope that through academic exchange, research collaboration, and faculty–student visits, they would jointly promote patriotic education and improve the quality of ideological and political education, cultivating professionals of both integrity and ability, with national commitment and global vision, while continuing to support the growth of teachers in both regions.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by senior management and scholars from both universities. Attendees from EdUHK included Ms Helen Gai Hui Xia, Associate Vice President (Mainland Engagement and Development) and Director of Communications and Engagement; Ms Jennifer Ho Ching, Assistant Director of Global Affairs; and four scholars: Dr Sun Fenghua, Associate Professor in the Department of Health and Physical Education; Dr Lo Chung-kwan, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology; Dr Ching Ping-pui, Assistant Professor in the Department of Science and Environmental Studies; and Dr Jin Mengyao, Lecturer in the Department of Chinese Language Studies. Twelve students from different faculties also participated.
Representatives from YAU included Vice President Professor Lu Lei; Mr He Qixiang, Director of the Party (University) Office; Professor Zhang Yantu, Director of the Faculty Affairs Department; Ms Cheng Ming, Director of the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office; Professor Liu Ruiru, Dean of the School of Education; Ms Wang Hua, Deputy Director of the Academic Affairs Office; Mr Miao Qing, Deputy Director of the Office of International Cooperation; and Mr Gao Wenbo, faculty member of the School of Physical Education.
Following the signing, the two universities held an exchange session. Professor Xi Jiami remarked that education is the cornerstone of national rejuvenation, and an important bond connecting compatriots across regions and consolidating national consensus. Although EdUHK and YAU are separated by more than 2,000 kilometres, both shoulder the important mission of teaching and nurturing talent for the nation. He expressed hope that this collaboration would serve as a starting point for comprehensive and multi-level practical cooperation.
Professor Lee noted that Yan’an University was the first comprehensive university founded by the Communist Party of China, upholding the educational philosophy of ‘serving the public and applying knowledge to practice’, and is a cradle of revolutionary heritage. He looked forward to exploring collaborative approaches to ideological and political education and patriotic education with YAU, believing that the joint efforts of both universities would contribute to China’s modernisation and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
After the signing ceremony, Professor Lee delivered an ideological and political lecture to nearly 100 faculty members and students from both universities, sharing his personal insights on General Secretary Xi Jinping’s works On Education and Outline for Studying Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. He emphasised that teaching is not merely a profession of imparting knowledge, but that teachers should strive to become “great mentors,” inspiring students to dedicate themselves to serving and strengthening the nation.
Subsequently, under the guidance and introduction of Professor Xi Jiami, EdUHK faculty and students visited YAU’s university history museum, gaining deeper understanding of the ideals and educational philosophy of the revolutionary pioneers who founded Shanbei Public School, and further strengthening their sense of responsibility and mission as educators.
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EdUHK and Yan’an University sign MoU on fostering Ideological and National education
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