The Capstone (or Final Year) Project is a year-long project carried out independently by final year students under the supervision of a professor. It gives our final year students the opportunity to design, research, and write an in-depth research paper on a self-chosen subject in Chinese Studies to showcase their knowledge in theories and methods, as well as analytical skills and interests in different aspects relating to Greater China learnt from different courses.

To allow enough time to plan and carry out the FYP, all final year students should take the research method course CHES3500 in Final Year Term 1 to formulate a research proposal. Students should also approach teachers as early as possible to discuss their intended project. In Final Year Term 2, students carry out the research and write their paper in multiple drafts. They will receive feedback and comments from their instructors as well as peers and revise their draft into a final paper.

Registration of CHES4500 will be handled by the Centre Office. Students with special requests (such as Advance Standing) should fill out the registration form for CHES3500 and CHES4500 and submit it to the Department Office before the deadline in order to avoid delays in graduation.

The Capstone projects are formally presented in an annual Undergraduate Student Forum at the end of the academic year. Students of all years are welcome and highly encouraged to attend this Forum. This is the opportunity to learn about the projects that your fellow students have done. Come see their presentations and give them your support!

Below are some of the capstone projects our CCS students have conducted in the past few years:

2022-23

Covid and Society

  • COVID-19 & Online Education: How Online Learning Affects the Mental and Emotional Health of University Students in Hong Kong?
  • How has the educational investment of Korean migrant mothers in Shanghai changed while dealing with COVID-19? A case study of mother’s role and Korean migrant mothers in Shanghai
  • Maintaining Stability in Digital Times: The Role of the New Media to Agglomerate Public Sentiment under the 2022 Shanghai COVID-19 Outbreak

Culture and Society

  • ‘Play from Home’: Towards a New Approach of Neighbourhood Playscape in Transitional Housing
  • Can WeChat be a political propaganda tool of Contemporary China beyond the border? A Case Study of Shanghai Lockdown Policies and Media System Dependency
  • Difficulties in the Social Integration Status of Migrant Children in Vocational High School: The Case of Guangzhou
  • Marry Up? Or Marry Love? -The Modern Form of Marriage of Matching Door (門當戶對) Among Young Generation Females in Hong Kong
  • Metaphor and Symbol of Chinese women’s Qipao: Hong Kong as Examples
  • The Discourse of Gym Advertisement: How Do Gym-Related YouTube Channels Shape the Ideal Image and Practices of CUHK Hong Kong Male Students Who Goes to the Gym?
  • Will You Cut Your Birthday Cake? —To determine the extent to which Japanese and Chinese views of women differ from advertising perspective

Hong Kong Identity

  • Hong Kong’s Recent Developments in Art and Culture and the Opportunities for Foreign Investors in the Art Business
  • How has MTR Corporation’s “Rail+Property” business model affected Hong Kong’s real estate market?
  • Imagining Home for All: Local Community Activism and Hong Kong Identity
  • Nostalgia, Amnesia, and the Spectre: Time and Space in “Rouge” (Yanzhi Kou 胭脂扣) and “The Rise and Fall of Wing Shing Street” (Yongshengjie Xingshuaishi 永盛街興衰史)
  • The adaption of life and preservation of identity of Hong Konger migrated to UK
  • The struggle of identity: multiculturalism in Hong Kong and its social implications

Technology and Chinese Economy

  • Analyzing Foreign Firm’s Criteria for Success in Penetrating the Mainland Chinese Market: Tactical Strategy by Sequoia China and DHL
  • How Sino-Foreign Joint Ventures affect the competitiveness of China’s Domestic Automobile Industry: The case of Geely Automobile and Beijing Hyundai Motor Company
  • Investigation on the Environmental Smartphone Marketing Trend of Leading Asian Firms: A Case Study on Samsung and Xiaomi Corporation
  • Techno-nationalism: Impact on smartphone consumption of Mainland Chinese and Korean Students in Hong Kong
  • The competitiveness of China’s FinTech industry
  • The U.S. – China Economic Interdependence: A PEST analysis on the relations between China and the U.S.
  • To what extent has digital finance contributed to financial inclusion in China?

2021-22

History

  • Sino-Japanese Relationship and Perception of Zhou Enlai in Japanese Newspaper in the 1970s
  • Development of Oracle Bone Studies and Breakthroughs in Recent Decades

Art and Literature

  • Hong Kong’s Independent Film
  • Contemporary Chinese Art under Censorship
  • Chinese Art Auction at Christie’s and Wannenes
  • Gaojia Opera (高甲戲): Inheritance and Development in Southern Fujian

Culture and Society

  • Cantopop in Search of Identity Recognition
  • Chinese TV Drama and Popular Cultural Export in the 21st Century
  • Chinese Masculinity as Perceived by Urban Female Jiulinghou (九零後)
  • Environmental NGOs in China: A Case Study of Qiandao Lake Water Fund
  • Guochao (國潮) in Chines Beauty Industry: Cultural Appreciation or Appropriation
  • Korean Wave in China after THAAD Deployment Decision

Economy and Commerce

  • Taobao Usage among “Yellow Economic Circle”
  • China’s Online Judicial Auction System: A Case Study in Shenzhen
  • Online Shopping Platform Choice among Mainland Chinese Students in Hong Kong
  • Traditional Chinese Craftsmanship in Chinese Luxury Branding
  • Cathay Pacific: Expansion of the Aviation Business Market from Hong Kong to Mainland China
  • US-China Technology Hegemony War: Semiconductor and 5G
  • Impacts of Belt and Road Initiative on RMB internationalization

2020-21

Art and Literature

  • Traditional Chinese Craftsmanship to build the first Global Chines
  • The Changing Significance of Female’s Image in Contemporary Chinese Cinema
  • The Continuation of The Thunderstorm: A Case Study of the Play Thunderstorm II

Culture and Society

  • How the Modernization after the 2000s Affect Desertification in the Chinese Region?
  • The Sino-Indian Border Dispute and Its Implications on Regional Geopolitics
  • Buddhism, Gender, and Local Religious Ecology in Fengshun County (豐順縣)
  • Hong Kong Young Adult Outbound Tourism Under the Global Pandemic

Economy and Commerce

  • Overseas Expansion of Chinese WeChat Pay in South Korea
  • Chinese wanghong (網紅), E-commercial Live Streaming and Online Marketing in the “New Media” Era
  • Social Impact of Z-Generation on China’s E-commerce Development
  • Cadre Personnel Management and Central Political Supervision of China’s Regional Financial Systems

2019-20

Art and Literature

  • Animal Images in Chinese Children’s Literature: A Case Study of Yang Hongying’s Works
  • Participatory Art: Anti-Extradition-Bill Movement through Posters
  • Ip Man Tetralogy: Transformation of Chinese Nationalism in Martial Arts
  • “Shanghai Literature” and the “Literature of Lower-Class”: Stories about Conflict and Fuses in the World of Wang Zhanhei

Culture and Society

  • Hanfu (漢服) in Hong Kong
  • Ethnic Identity of Hong Kong Youth
  • Urban Chinese Women’s Pursuit of White and Fair Skin
  • Putonghua vs. Cantonese: The Future of Hong Kong’s Lingua Franca
  • Son Preferences among the Second-Generation Teochew Youth in Shenzhen
  • Changes and continuities in the perception of ideal intimate relationship among Chinese Urban Youth
  • Participation among “Post-95s” Participating in Relief Supply during the 2020 Coronavirus Outbreak

 Business and Economics

  • Social Credit System and Its Impact on the Regulation and Credit Worthiness Assessment of a Chinese State-Owned Enterprise Operating Abroad
  • China’s High-End Manufacturing Industry: Can China’s high-end manufacturing industry overcome the negative country of origin effect?
  • Why Local Non-Bank Financial Intermediaries Prefer Local Debts: A Structural Perspective of the Home Bias Propensity in Chinese Debt Market (2012-2018)
  • Strategic Partnership Between China and Korea in Chinese Mediascape 2000 – 2016
  • What Makes Successful Contemporary Chinese Entrepreneurs? The Brains behind Chinese Unicorns and China Concept Stock Companies

2018-19

Art and Literature

  • Boys’ Love (BL) Fiction as A Virtual Utopia for Female Readers
  • Contesting Stream-of-Consciousness in Liu Yichang’s The Drunkard
  • Gender Relations in the Chinese TV Drama “Dwelling Narrowness”
  • IP Movie Industry and Fan Economy in China

 Culture and Society

  • Belief, Temple and Community: A Case Study of Nau Chi Wan Sam Shan Kwok Wong Temple
  • An Investigation into the Stigma Towards MSG Amongst Homemakers in Hong Kong
  • “What does ‘Zhongguo’ mean to you?”: Cultural Identity of University Students from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan
  • English or Mandarin? A Dilemma Faced by Bilingual Non-local University Students in Hong Kong
  • To What Extent Does Discrimination Affect Mainland Chinese Undergraduate Students of CUHK to Remain in Hong Kong or Return to Mainland China after Graduation?

Economy and Commerce

  • What Do Tightening Anti-Money Laundering Regulations Mean for Hong Kong as a Global Financial Centre?
  • The Psychological and Behavioural Determinants of Young-adult Mainland China Travelers
  • How Does University Students’ Perception toward Mobile Payment Service Affect Their Willingness to Adopt the New Technology?
  • A Tale of Two Branches: The Comparative Analysis on the recruitment exercise of the Jiangxi Branch of China Mobile and China Mobile Hong Kong

 Politics and Diplomacy

  • Between THAAD and Korea’s Tourism Industry: An Analysis Using Financial Data
  • HKU South Asian Muslim Students’ View on Muslim Suppression in Xinjiang and Their Willingness to Travel to China
  • A Study of Return and Escape among Zhiqing in the Rustication Campaign
  • Success Factors for Domestic and International Venture Companies in China: A Comparative Study

2017-18

Media and Literature

  • “New woman” or “Modern girl”: Female Protagonist in the Short Stories of Feng Yuanjun, Zhang Ailing and Wang Anyi
  • Chinese Social Media Censorship and Its Impacts on Chinese Students’ Using Behaviour in Hong Kong

 Culture and Society

  • CrossFit in Taiwan
  • Early Childhood Education System in Shenzhen
  • Zexiao (Choosing School) and Inequality in Education in Urban China
  • Shanzhai (山寨) as a Political and Cultural Label in Hong Kong
  • Wenming Chengshi (Civilized City)” Program in Kuming as Perceived by the Post-80s/90s

Economy and Commerce

  • Car Sharing Economy in Greater China: A Case Study of DiDi Quaidi
  • Online Food Delivery Platform in China
  • Privacy Concerns over China’s Cashless Payment Systems
  • Impacts of Government Policies on FDI Trends: A Case Study of Tertiary Industry in Shanghai
  • Wang Hong (Internet Celebrities) Endorsement and Its Impacts on Purchase Intention in Urban China

 Politics and Diplomacy

  • China’s Belt and Road in South-east Asia
  • A Case Study of Private Sino-African Foreign Direct Investment: Startimes and Huawei in Nigeria and South Africa
  • Chinese Migration to Vietnam: A Case Study of Chinese Managers in Hai Phong
  • 2010 – 2016 Diplomatic Freeze on Chinese Outbound Tourism to Norway
  • China’s Involvement in the TAZARA Project

2016-17

Art and Literature

  • Body Art among Taiwanese Youth
  • Gufeng Music(古風音樂)in China
  • Contemporary Development of Qinqiang (秦腔) Opera in Xi’an, Shaanxi
  • Changing Space of the White Cloud Monastery (白雲觀) in Beijing
  • Chinese Buddhism in the Social Media Era: A Case Study of Buddhism on Sina Weibo

 Culture and Society

  • ‘Ant Tribe’ (蟻族) in Shenzhen
  • Death Penalty Reform in China: The Case of Jia Jinglong
  • Acculturation of Low-skilled Female Migrants in Hong Kong: The Case of Nepalese and Vietnamese Kitchen Workers
  • Current Situation and Self-Identification of Chinese Chosunjok People in South Korea and China

 Business and Commerce

  • Hospitality Adaptations for the New Chinese Traveler: The Case of Spain’s Melia Hotels & Resorts
  • The Development of Business Ethics: Comparing South Korea and China
  • New Media and Young Chinese Consumers:  Young Chinese tourists in Hong Kong and their use of OpenRice for Eating Out
  • A Shopping Paradox in the Shopping Paradise: A Case Study of E-Consuming Behaviours among Chinese Students in Hong Kong

 Politics and Diplomacy

  • Influence of High School History Lessons on Mainland Chinese Students’ View on Japan
  • The Democracy Wall Controversy: Ideological Differences Between Hongkong and Mainland Students
  • China’s Engagement with WTO over Dispute Cases with USA, 2014-16
  • Consolidation of Shipping SOEs in China: A Case Study of Cosco and China Shipping
  • Challenges for Taiwanese-Owned Industrial Operations in China: A Case Study of a Taiwanese Tire Manufacturer
  • China’s Outbound Investments and Political Risks: Two Politicized Cases in New Zealand and Australia
  • Examining Shifts in Chinese Government Attitudes toward  North Korea and South Korea in relation to the US Deployment of the THAAD Missile Defense System, 2016 -2017