Over 800 faculty members and students from 17 countries and regions gather at Lingnan’s International Day 2026, creating a global village and advancing cross-cultural exchanges

To promote campus internationalisation and broaden students’ global perspective, Lingnan University held “International Day 2026 – Gateways to the World” on campus today, 3 November, co-organised by the Office of Global Education and the Office of Student Affairs. It attracted more than 800 students and members of the faculty and the public. Students from 17 countries and regions served as cultural ambassadors, wearing traditional attire and showing the customs and everyday life of their home countries through folk performances as well as cultural exhibits. The event was also open to the public, strengthening the University’s ties with the community and enabling visitors to discover the special appeal of different cultures through cross-cultural exchange.

The opening ceremony was officiated by Prof Raymond Chan Hon-fu, Vice-President (Academics) cum Provost and Lam Man Tsan Chair Professor of Scientific Computing at Lingnan University; Prof Xin Yao, Vice-President (Research and Innovation) and Tong Tin Sun Chair Professor of Machine Learning; Prof Sam Kwong Tak-wu, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research), Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, and J.K. Lee Chair Professor of Computational Intelligence; Prof Bradley R. Barnes, Special Advisor to President on Internationalisation and Director of Global Education; and Ms Irene Ng Wai-ming, Director of Student Affairs.

In his welcome address, Prof Barnes explained that internationalisation is not simply about providing students with opportunities to participate in overseas exchange programmes. More importantly, the University is committed to building an international campus where students and staff from diverse cultural backgrounds can learn from one another, collaborate, and develop friendships through their everyday learning and campus life, highlighting the appeal of studying in the Hong Kong SAR. He said, “The Hong Kong SAR has the unique advantage of bringing Chinese and Western cultures together. Through immersive activities like this, the University equips students with the cross-cultural collaboration and communication skills they need to develop a broader global perspective while studying on campus, and better prepares them for careers in an increasingly international workplace.”

At “International Day 2026 – Gateways to the World”, students from Bhutan, the Chinese Mainland, France, Germany, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, and the UK played an active role in planning and running the exhibition booths. Through music, traditional dance performances, handicraft displays, interactive booths, and in-depth discussions, they broke down linguistic and geographical barriers by introducing visitors to the history, traditions, and everyday cultures of their home countries. The campus was transformed into a vibrant global village, giving faculty, students and members of the public an opportunity to experience the cultural diversity and distinctive traditions of different parts of the world.

Dawit Kidu Hailezgi, from Ethiopia, is Lingnan University's first student admitted from the country this academic year. A first-year non-local student studying Health and Social Services Management in the Samuel C.C. Ting Elite Class, he assumed the role of Global Ambassador shortly after enrolment and participated in the event. He said, “International Day has given me the opportunity to engage with students from various countries and experience different cultures firsthand. As a first-year student new to Lingnan, this experience has not only allowed me to make many new friends and broaden my global horizons, but has also enabled me to deeply feel Lingnan's diverse, inclusive, and vibrant campus atmosphere.”

It also provided a platform for face-to-face cross-cultural dialogue between the University community and the public, giving students of different nationalities a better understanding of one another and some cross-cultural experience, while broadening their global perspective. It further enabled them to build international connections in a diverse yet inclusive environment, reinforcing the University’s commitment to whole-person education.

In recent years, Lingnan has actively promoted campus internationalisation in support of the Hong Kong SAR’s vision of becoming an international hub for post-secondary education. Through student exchange programmes, an international network of partner institutions, and an inclusive campus environment, the University integrates global elements into academic and campus life, creating more opportunities for students to engage with the world, and showcasing the highly internationalised learning environment of the Hong Kong SAR.

Students from 17 countries and regions play an active role in planning and running exhibition booths at “International Day 2026 – Gateways to the World”, transforming the campus into a vibrant global village and attracting more than 800 students and members of the faculty and public.

Exchange students from Mexico in traditional attire energise the audience with a folk dance showing the distinctive culture of Latin America, and draw crowds of students and staff.

Students from Bhutan in traditional attire perform a folk dance, revealing their country’s rich cultural heritage to faculty and students.

Students serve as cultural ambassadors, introducing visitors to local customs, traditions, and everyday life in their home countries.

Prof Bradley R. Barnes, Special Advisor to President on Internationalisation and Director of Global Education at Lingnan University, says that the University is committed to building an international campus where faculty and students from diverse cultural backgrounds can learn from one another, collaborate, and develop friendships through their everyday academic and campus life, highlighting the appeal of studying in the Hong Kong SAR.

Dawit Kidu Hailezgi, a Lingnan University Global Ambassador and first-year non-local student from Ethiopia studying Health and Social Services Management in the Samuel C.C. Ting Elite Class (CCT Class), marking the university's first admission from the country this academic year, takes part in the event.

The Hong Kong Council of Social Service estimates that the number of carers across the territory reaches as high as 1.12 million. Some employed people are forced to juggle the demands of work alongside caring for parents, spouses, or children, taking on the arduous role of “compound carers”. The Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies (APIAS) at Lingnan University conducted in-depth interviews with over 40 multiple carers who care for at least two family members, one of whom has a disability or a chronic illness. The study found that these working compound carers face heavy pressure in balancing professional and family duties. Nearly half of those interviewed keep their caregiving responsibilities hidden at work for fear of being branded “troublesome employees”. Consequently, several had to give up promotions or switch to part-time work due to caregiving demands. Researchers note that current support networks remain fragmented, leaving compound carers to search for, evaluate, and arrange various services entirely on their own — adding substantial friction to an already overwhelming load. The research team recommends introducing dedicated Case Managers who will integrate healthcare, rehabilitation, and social welfare services.

Led by Lingnan and funded by the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, the one-year study conducted in-depth interviews between April 2025 and January 2026 with 45 compound carers in the Hong Kong SAR, aged from 25 to over 75. Recruited through social welfare agencies and carer social media platforms, they were full- and part-time workers, full-time homemakers, and retirees, 35 of whom were female. In terms of their caregiving loads, 34 were looking after two family members, nine were caring for three, and two were single-handedly looking after four to five relatives.

The study revealed that many of these 104 care recipients suffered from complex comorbidities, which included chronic health conditions (30), diagnosed dementia (20), and severe mobility impairments or bedridden states resulting from conditions such as stroke (20). Respondents emphasised that their daily responsibilities encompassed coordinating frequent multi-speciality medical consultations, giving medication at fixed times, managing physical transfers, and responding to unpredictable medical emergencies, all of which represent an intensive, sustained care burden. Consequently, many carers reported feeling trapped in a relentless 24-hour on-call cycle, continually forced to make trade-offs between different responsibilities.

The study also showed that approximately 45 per cent of respondents had to balance paid employment with their caregiving duties. Most reported relying on annual leave, time off in lieu, or shift swaps to attend to family medical consultations and sudden emergencies. As leave requests accumulated, carers expressed growing concern that supervisors or colleagues might perceive them as having persistent family issues or lacking commitment to their role, thereby threatening their prospects for promotion and contract renewal. Consequently, nearly half of the employed respondents chose to conceal their carer status at work, with some preferring “to absorb the burden privately rather than risk being viewed as troublesome employees”.

For example, one respondent declined a promotion offer due to concerns over managing both workplace and caregiving responsibilities, explaining, “Because new roles typically offer no annual leave during the initial months, I needed to ensure my family members would have no medical appointments or sudden emergencies during that period.” Another respondent who very much wished to change jobs feared a new post might demand longer hours and limit the ability to respond immediately to family emergencies, forcing this individual to remain in the same position. The research team pointed out that these accounts illustrate how care responsibilities directly impact the career options of certain respondents.

Notably, caregiving responsibilities also take a severe toll on personal psychological well-being, with some carers undergoing psychiatric treatment due to the heavy pressure. One respondent highlighted having to care simultaneously for an 88-year-old amputee father with limited mobility and an 87-year-old mother living with dementia. This unceasing pressure resulted in chronic sleep disruption, physical exhaustion, and deteriorating mental health, ultimately leading to suicidal ideation during moments of profound helplessness and the need for ongoing psychiatric care.

Furthermore, the study underscored that respondents find the existing social support infrastructure highly fragmented. Carers are forced to navigate a complex maze of services across public hospitals, the Social Welfare Department, non-governmental organisations, residential care facilities, and online portals by themselves, investigating application procedures, waiting lists, means-testing requirements, and eligibility criteria in each case. Beyond these structural challenges, respite care capacity remains severely constrained on weekends, public holidays or times of emergency, daycare transport schedules frequently conflict with standard working hours, and rehabilitation transit routes and operational hours are restrictive, creating substantial hurdles for carers seeking support. The research team says that the bureaucratic complexity of the existing support apparatus and scattered information have become part of the overall chronic stress burden for compound carers.

A study conducted by the Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies at Lingnan University finds that working compound carers face the dilemma of balancing professional and family duties. The photo shows Prof Dickson Chan Chak-kwan, Research Professor and Director of APIAS. Photo source: LU

Prof Dickson Chan Chak-kwan, Research Professor and Director of APIAS, said, “The public currently pays relatively little attention to the problems and needs faced by ‘compound carers’ who care for several dependents. These people encounter immense strain regarding time management and role execution, alongside psychological and financial pressure; they often face a heavier burden than carers looking after a single family member, yet existing policies offer meagre targeted assistance. We advocate formally recognising compound carers as core stakeholders within the Hong Kong SAR’s long-term care architecture. Strategic inter-agency coordination alongside dedicated funding streams would tangibly elevate quality of life for these households, while fortifying systemic sustainability against an accelerating demographic ageing curve to address the long-term challenges posed by an ageing population and growing demand for services.”

To operationalise this, the research team proposes establishing a dedicated Carer Case Manager framework, where designated professionals evaluate household needs, communicate with healthcare, rehabilitation, and social care networks, and design integrated post-discharge transition plans and service packages, eliminating the procedural burden on families. They also recommend short-term residential care and home support services beyond standard office hours and on weekends. Finally, they suggest carer-friendly employment standards, specifically introducing a statutory entitlement to seven days’ unpaid carer leave annually as well as corporate incentives for flexible scheduling, hybrid working arrangements, and agile shift swaps. Additionally, the monthly amount of the carer's allowance is only HK$3,300, which accounts for 15 per cent of the median monthly domestic household income and falls short of covering the various additional expenses associated with caregiving. Therefore, increasing the carer's allowance is the most direct and prompt way to assist carers facing financial hardship.

For the full research paper, please visit: https://commons.ln.edu.hk/apias_research/29/