Completed OHKF's China Masters Series in May Fourth Movement

APAC Focus welcomes the public response to the “Chinese Lecture Hall” event, “If One Does Not Understand May Fourth, How Can One Understand China,” organized by Our Hong Kong Foundation on 4 May 2026. The event featured our founder Prof. Michael Luk Yan-lung — Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Hong Kong — as keynote speaker, with Prof. Lau Chi-pang joining the dialogue session.

In his lecture, Prof. Luk argued that the May Fourth movement was a turning point in shaping modern China’s intellectual, cultural, and national development. He said the movement influenced multiple generations and helped lay foundations for the country’s academic, scientific, and cultural advancement, making it indispensable to any serious understanding of China today.

He further noted that China’s historical tradition places strong value on peace and that national enlightenment should be understood together with a wider commitment to world peace. In this context, he encouraged audiences to examine Western narratives critically rather than accept them unreflectively.

As a platform developed under IGCS, APAC Focus sees this discussion as especially relevant to regional dialogue across the Asia-Pacific. Historical understanding remains essential to informed debate on identity, modernization, citizenship, and China’s evolving role in the world.

The event is co-organized by Our Hong Kong Foundation and the Education Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government, with venue sponsorship from Sun Hung Kai Properties. Supporting organizations include the University of Hong Kong, the Education University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, and Lingnan University.