Hong Kong is planning university towns in San Tin, Hung Shui Kiu and Ta Kwu Ling, with each location intended to develop around different academic and economic strengths. The proposal, included in the government’s five-year plan and policy address, would create new campus areas rather than simply relocate existing university courses.
Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin said the model would be built into the wider Northern Metropolis blueprint. She contrasted it with Kowloon Tong, where universities expanded over time in response to historical development and space needs.
Hung Shui Kiu University Town would sit alongside technology and industrial zones and a logistics park focused on high-end manufacturing, professional logistics and emerging industries. Choi said the development was intended to support collaboration between industry, universities and research institutions, while promoting closer links between urban and rural areas.
The proposed academic focus would vary by site. San Tin, near Shenzhen, would emphasise the conversion and application of research in fields including life sciences, medicine and artificial intelligence. Ta Kwu Ling would include an arts element. The government also welcomes overseas universities and encourages institutions in the university towns to work with established universities in mainland China and elsewhere.
Because overseas universities would need to develop on a self-financing basis and might take time to commit resources, the government is expected to offer incentives such as nominal land premiums, low-interest loans and longer repayment periods. One concrete idea is to reserve land in Ta Kwu Ling for a possible second campus of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.