Media interns take stage in Hunan

Navigating career options amid rapid transformation in the media industry presents a tough choice for communication students weighing options between public relations, advertising and news reporting.

Exploring goals: Intern Sophia Chong says the placement allows her to explore different prospects before settling on her major in public relations, advertising or news reporting next year. Image source: www.news.gov.hk

For Sophia Chong, a second-year student in the Department of Journalism & Communication at Hong Kong Shue Yan University (HKSYU) facing a choice of major next year, clarity came through a new cross-boundary initiative.

“I genuinely wish I had more opportunities to try different things before making a choice, so I can find a path that suits me best,” Miss Chong said. 

Miss Chong joined 15 other Hong Kong tertiary students in Changsha for a three-week immersive placement at Hunan Satellite TV’s production hub, also known as the “Colourful Box”.

The initiative was rolled out under the Youth Internship Programme at Hunan on Media Industry, jointly organised by the Home & Youth Affairs Bureau, Hunan Satellite TV and the Journalism Education Foundation.

The interns were assigned across three variety shows – a cooking competition, a singing contest and an entertainment show – extending their practical exposure with a firsthand taste of production and advertising far beyond traditional news reporting.

Multifaceted exposure: Interns pitch game concepts, assist with blocking rehearsals and conduct desk research across three variety shows. (Courtesy of Hunan Satellite TV) Image source: www.news.gov.hk

Hands-on production

Assigned to a brand-new regional culinary show, Miss Chong had to conduct background research on the evolution of Cantonese dishes, pitch recipes and source renowned chefs and influencers as guest judges.

The work soon extended beyond desk research. She recalled the stand-in rehearsals – where interns simulated show sequences by taking on the roles of chefs, judges or hosts so camera operators and lighting crews could calibrate their setups – as a key highlight.

“It was a thrill like no other,” she said.

Fostering talent: Secretary for Home & Youth Affairs Alice Mak highlights how the internship programme helps Hong Kong students gain key insights into the media landscape and industry trends on the Chinese Mainland. (Courtesy of Home & Youth Affairs Bureau) Image source: www.news.gov.hk

Industry praise

On entertainment sets, interns pitched creative game concepts to pump up the studio energy and came up with ideas to promote the guests’ upcoming releases and movies.

Meanwhile, those who were tasked with the singing contest programme faced a high-stakes trial by fire. Stepping into specialised production roles spanning props, lighting and stage positioning, they managed real-time technical execution, including lyric cueing.

For HKSYU student Jenny Hui, the internship was a demanding crash course in large-scale live broadcasting, where artistes’ movements, props and timing required precise co-ordination.

Hunan Satellite TV mentor Deng Junyin praised her eye for detail and adaptability on set.

“From communication to design, to execution and finally going on stage. I think she did a great job,” Mr Deng said.

Elsewhere in the studio, Christella Chan from the Chinese University of Hong Kong served on the teleprompter team, adjusting lyrics to each singer’s breathing rhythm.

She also leveraged her native language skills from the control room, providing real-time Cantonese-to-Putonghua translation for her team as singer Leah Dou chatted on stage with her crew after rehearsals, according to Zhu Zhenni, another mentor from Hunan Satellite TV.

“The interns from Hong Kong were a great help to us,” Miss Zhu said.

Broadening horizons: Sixteen Hong Kong tertiary students step out for a three-week internship at Hunan Satellite TV under the youth internship programme. Image source: www.news.gov.hk

Fresh perspectives

The three-week immersion experience sparked Miss Chong’s passion for variety shows and creative production outside the newsroom. Yet, her biggest eye-opener came from the youthful, dynamic energy driving a Chinese Mainland media organisation.

“We were quite surprised that most of the directors are really young. They were actually born in the late 1990s or even 2000s. They try to bring in a lot of new ideas rather than following a traditional frame.”

Secretary for Home & Youth Affairs Alice Mak emphasised that the inaugural internship programme offers Hong Kong’s media talent a front-row seat to Mainland trends, while fostering a broader perspective on the country’s overall development.

“Through this internship programme, students can work alongside professional programme production teams, gaining an in-depth understanding of the media landscape and industry trends on the Chinese Mainland,” Miss Mak said.

She added the initiative aims to cultivate young talent equipped with a better understanding of the country’s development alongside a professional media perspective.

Five Hong Kong universities continue to rank among global top 100, helping to consolidate status as international education hub

An Education Bureau (EDB) spokesperson said today (September 30) that the rankings of Hong Kong's universities in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027 continue to be highly commended, fully demonstrating the robust strength of Hong Kong's higher education system and its world-class levels in teaching, research, and international outlook, and also reflecting the Government's continuous resource investment and policy support over the years, which have successfully laid a solid foundation for Hong Kong's higher education institutions.

According to the latest THE World University Rankings, the University of Hong Kong ranks globally at 33rd, the Chinese University of Hong Kong at 42nd, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology at 58th, and the City University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University have risen to 70th and 79th respectively, continuing to rank among the global top 100.

The spokesperson said, "The long-standing high rankings of Hong Kong's universities at the forefront of international rankings not only reflect the achievements of the local higher education sector in striving for excellence and scaling new heights, but also bear witness to the Government's proactive leadership in guiding the post-secondary education sector to achieve outstanding results through policy measures such as seeking innovation and change, and expanding capacity while enhancing quality. The Government will continue to spare no effort in promoting the comprehensive integration of the higher education sector into the overall national development, contributing to the country's endeavour to build a leading country in education."

The recently promulgated First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2026-2030) (Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan) and the Chief Executive's 2026 Policy Address further strengthen Hong Kong's development momentum and build the city into an international hub for high-calibre talent. Measures include driving the development of the Northern Metropolis University Town (NMUT) under "One Town, Five Elements" to promote capacity expansion and quality enhancement of post-secondary education. The Government will consolidate Hong Kong's internationalised and diversified educational advantages under "one country, two systems", align with the strategy of invigorating the country through science and education, strengthen basic, emerging, and cross-disciplinary development and the nurturing of top-notch talent, deepen international co-operation, and promote the integrated development of education, technology, and talent to better serve the country's endeavour to develop into a leading country in education.

To dovetail with the development of the NMUT, the Government will implement a series of measures, including increasing the number of the University Grants Committee-funded research postgraduate places to 9 600 by the 2030/31 academic year; gradually increasing the annual quota of the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme to 550 places by the 2029/30 academic year; providing additional funding of $20 million per academic year to support knowledge transfer; and allocating $40 million annually to the Fund for Innovative Technology-in-Education. With the continuous relaxation of the ceiling for non-local students enrolled in self-financing local post-secondary programmes, and the intensified promotional efforts through the cross-departmental Task Force on Study in Hong Kong, local institutions will continue to attract exceptional students from over 100 countries and regions across the globe, consolidating Hong Kong's leading position as an international post-secondary education hub.

The spokesperson concluded, "Even in the face of intense global competition, the performance of Hong Kong's universities continues to remain stable and excellent. Looking ahead, with the comprehensive implementation of Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan, the promotion of the integrated development of education, technology, and talent, and the development of the NMUT, Hong Kong's higher education is ushering in a golden period of development full of promising potential. We will continue to promote the all-round connectivity in areas such as talent training, frontier scientific research, and industry-academia-research collaboration, optimise resource allocation, support various institutions in consolidating their existing advantages while pioneering innovation, and nurture more outstanding talent equipped with both international perspective and exceptional capabilities, thereby making greater contributions to the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and the country."

Source: AI-found images