Prof. Tao Feiya 陶飛亞教授   
Graduated in 2001

Tao Feiya, who holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, has served as a professor in the History Department at Shandong University and Shanghai University. He is currently the Dean of Qingyun College at Shanghai University. 

Studying at CUHK offered many enjoyable experiences. First and foremost, the university’s library resources are particularly noteworthy. It boasts an extensive collection of books and materials from both the Chinese-speaking world and overseas, and its digital library is comprehensive and advanced compared to other universities of similar standing. This provides highly convenient conditions for learning and research. Second, the academic environment emphasizes a global perspective. Not only do numerous renowned scholars frequently give lectures here, but doctoral students are also offered many opportunities to participate in exchange programs at world-class universities. This combination of “bringing in” and “going out” greatly broadens students’ horizons. Best of all, the faculty members are highly accomplished yet very approachable. The mentor-student relationship often felt like a friendship, making the years of study a truly memorable and pleasant experience. 

My time at CUHK yielded fruitful results. My doctoral dissertation was honored with the “CUHK Young Scholar Thesis Award” and was published by the University Press. The academic training and life experiences I gained in the Department of Religion have been immensely beneficial to my subsequent teaching, research, and administrative work. Since then, I have published over 80 papers in both Chinese and English in journals such as *Social Sciences in China*, *Historical Research*, *Studies in World Religions*, and several overseas publications. I have also authored or edited more than 20 books. I have served as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Shanghai University, Director of the University Museum, and Dean of Qingyun College. In addition, I have held positions including Vice President of the Shanghai Society for Religious Studies and Vice President and Secretary-General of the Shanghai Historical Society.

Prof. Xiao Qinghe 肖清和教授  
Graduated in 2009

Currently, I hold the position of Tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Peking University. Prior to this, I served as Professor in the Department of History and Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Chinese Society at Shanghai University. I participated in the joint doctoral program between Peking University and The Chinese University of Hong Kong, studying in the Department of Cultural and Religious Studies at CUHK from 2006 to 2008. Those two years were both fulfilling and enjoyable. Even now, the memories remain vivid, filling me with gratitude and joy.

During my time at CUHK, I benefited from many exceptional conditions. First, the campus environment was exceptionally pleasant, and the library was first-rate in both the scale of its collection and the quality of its services. Second, the faculty members in the Department of Cultural and Religious Studies and the Divinity School were all very approachable, consistently patient in their teaching and caring toward students. Third, the department and university frequently hosted academic events, fostering a vibrant scholarly atmosphere that allowed me to connect with numerous senior scholars and peers. Fourth, CUHK and the Department of Cultural Studies provided a tranquil yet flexible academic environment, while seminar courses encouraged the pursuit of academic integrity and vigorous, constructive debate. Within this atmosphere, my research capabilities advanced rapidly.

During my doctoral studies, my primary gains included: (1) Methodological awareness. Early in my enrollment, Professor Lai Chi Tim, the Dean, encouraged me to cultivate theoretical and methodological consciousness in religious studies. (2) Interdisciplinary perspective. The diverse research interests of the department faculty, combined with CUHK's rich academic resources, continually pushed me to transcend disciplinary boundaries and broaden my research horizons. (3) Emphasis on utilizing new materials. My supervisor, Professor LO Lung Kwong, and other faculty repeatedly stressed the importance of tracking and employing new literature, particularly focusing on primary sources previously unexplored by predecessors. (4) International academic exchange. During my studies, I attended an academic workshop in Belgium and established long-term connections with international scholars such as Professor Nicolas Standaert. (5) Cultivating a sense of national and social responsibility. CUHK's profound humanistic tradition and its deep commitment to the nation, society, and its people profoundly inspire and shape every student who studies here.

Prof. Hu Jiechen 胡劼辰教授
Graduated in 2017

大家好，我叫胡劼辰，如今在復旦大學哲學學院宗教學系任副教授。我是2010年從復旦大學國際金融系畢業，因為興趣和緣分使然，於2012年來到香港中文大學，報讀了MARS的課程，之後在同系攻讀PhD學位。2017年畢業後便回到大陸高校從教至今。

於我而言，MA、MPhil到PhD每個項目都給予了不同階段的我很獨特的學習體驗和學術訓練，也讓我有充分的時間積累知識、自我認識、猶豫彷徨以及最終下定決心。我至今仍然記得港中大圖書館豐富的藏書所帶給我的震撼，以及不同學者不同思想碰撞後留給我的靈感與啟迪。而這段求學經歷中最最重要的，應該就是它給了我自由探索、自我表達、理解他者和接納分歧的力量與勇氣吧！

Prof. Li Yiqing 李以清教授  
Graduated in 2021

The programme in Religious Studies at CUHK did far more than enlarge my scholarly competence; it refined my intellectual sensibility. By inviting me to regard “religion” through the layered lenses of history, culture and society, it freed me from the sole concern of personal belief and trained me to interrogate the very fabric of civilisation. Here, religion is neither a single creed nor a discrete ritual, but a generative question that may be pursued from the whispered prayer of one devotee to the sweeping currents of global thought. Such inquiry effortlessly traverses philology, anthropology, art, politics and social theory, dissolving disciplinary borders while acquiring both amplitude and depth.

Equally formative was the meticulous apprenticeship in research craft. Seminars instructed us in the selection of compelling questions, the patient gathering of evidence, the courteous yet rigorous dialogue with predecessors, and the lucid architecture of argument. We were guided, clause by clause, in the ethics of annotation; we advanced, paragraph by paragraph, from literature review to research proposal, conference paper and final manuscript. Generous conference grants further dispatched us to leading universities abroad, where spirited conversation with international scholars tempered every subsequent sentence we wrote.

These cultivated habits of precision and cross-cultural curiosity have since accompanied me at every turn. After graduation I completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Peking University, and I now serve as Associate Research Fellow in the Institute of Daoism and Religious Culture at Sichuan University. Publications in foremost journals and awards from the National Social Science Fund of China have followed naturally, yet the quiet pulse beneath each achievement remains the gracious, exacting training first bestowed upon me at CUHK.

Dr. Davide Marino   
Graduated in 2023

I am currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in Religious Studies at the University of Göttingen and a Research Fellow at the University of Vienna, where I continue my research on the intersections of religion, politics, and intellectual history. Looking back, my years at CUHK were intellectually formative and deeply rewarding. The Department of Cultural and Religious Studies provided not only rigorous academic training but also an inspiring environment of dialogue across traditions, disciplines, and perspectives. I particularly valued the close mentorship from my supervisor, Professor James D. Frankel, as well as the opportunity to encounter China and Chinese culture in a way that deeply shaped both my scholarship and outlook.

My doctoral training at CUHK equipped me with a strong theoretical foundation and methodological versatility. The emphasis on critical analysis, intercultural understanding, and engagement with Chinese contexts has been essential in my current work, where I contribute to global debates in the study of religion while remaining attentive to cultural and historical particularities. Beyond research skills, my studies also prepared me for the collaborative and international nature of academia, giving me the confidence to participate fully in conferences, publications, and teaching. I remain grateful for the rigorous and supportive training I received at CUHK, which has left a lasting imprint on both my academic path and professional growth.

Dr. Kwong Chi Leung 鄺智良博士   
Graduated in 2017

我於2017年修畢宗教研究哲學博士課程，師從黎子鵬教授，研究清末時新小說的宗教內涵。最寶貴經驗，莫過於遇上一眾學識淵博、治學嚴謹、勤奮不懈的老師和同學。見賢思齊，與他們切磋的過程中，我深深感受到自己的不足，產生的求進動力，在別處很難得着。學系師資卓越，當年我最熱衷的「課餘活動」，便是跑到不同課堂旁聽，受到的啟發畢生受用。研究過程中，恩師循循善誘，除知識傳授，亦慰勉有加，亦師亦友之情，至今仍然難忘。

畢業後，我投身基督教文字工作，現為宗教教育中心編輯主任，主力編寫中、小學宗教及成長科課本。進修博士課程，為我奠下穩固知識基礎，亦累積了豐富的閱讀及寫作經驗，這對於我現時的工作，可謂至關重要。

Dr. Lee Chi Shing 李志誠博士   
Graduated in 2019

From 2016 to 2019, I pursued my Ph.D. in Religious Studies at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, where my research focused on Buddhist and Daoist premortem death rituals during the Song-Yuan period in China. Conducting research on Chinese religions at CUHK was a profoundly rewarding experience. This was not only due to the open academic environment of the Division of Religious Studies, which encouraged diverse research methodologies and topics, but more importantly, because of its integrative academic traditions that bridge Chinese and international scholarship, along with extensive scholarly networks and abundant resources. These advantages enabled me to continuously engage with cutting-edge research in the global academic community during my doctoral studies, thereby broadening my scholarly vision and intellectual horizons.

I am currently serving as a Lecturer in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at The Education University of Hong Kong, where I primarily teach courses related to cultural heritage education and management. The training I received in religious studies at CUHK has equipped me with the insight to recognize the profound connections between diverse traditional cultures and contemporary society, allowing me to incorporate flexible perspectives and rich case studies into my teaching.

Ms. Zheng Yutong 鄭雨彤女士

Admitted in 2022

Zheng Yutong is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Cultural and Religious Studies at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, under the supervision of Professor Lai Tsz Pang John. She graduated from East China Normal University and holds a M.A. degree in Religious Studies (with Distinction) from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She was a visiting scholar in the Department of Religious Studies at McGill University, Canada (2023), and participated in an exchange program at Université Paris Diderot - Paris VII, France (2019-2020).

Zheng has received many awards and scholarships, including the Mitacs Globalink Research Award (2022-2023), the Ho Chor Memorial Scholarship (2021-2022), the Shun Shin Kindness Foundation Scholarship (2021-2022), the First Prize Scholarship for Humanistic Buddhism Research (2022-2023), and recognition on the Dean’s List (2022). Her research has been published in both Chinese and English academic journals, including Religions, AI & Society, Cogent Arts & Humanities, and Review of Culture. She has presented papers at international conferences and workshops, such as the Hawaii International Conference on Chinese Studies (HICCS, 2025, USA) and the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion (AAR, 2023, USA). Additionally, she serves as a reviewer for several English academic journals.

Her research interests encompass Chinese religions and artificial intelligence, cross-media studies of Chinese religions (including literature, film, and games), and American acceptance of Chinese Religions in 1960s. She is motivated by a desire to explore how Chinese religions manifest across different media forms and how these intersect with cutting-edge technologies in the digital age. During her Ph.D. studies, she has engaged in foundational courses in religious theory and interdisciplinary subjects, including third-language courses, and has had the privilege of meeting inspiring mentors and peers. Notably, the university supports Ph.D. students in conducting exchange visits to institutions in Europe and North America, participating in international conferences, and providing financial assistance, all of which have been instrumental in developing her global academic perspective.

Mr. Wang Zichao 王子超先生   
Admitted in 2023

我此前在中大獲得了宗教研究的哲學碩士學位，論文是關涉Boethius的Consolatio Philosophiae與牟宗三《圓善論》的耶儒對話。現在我繼續在中大攻讀宗教研究的哲學博士學位，研究集中於情感倫理與中世紀的女性神秘主義神學。

以我的筆力，實無法將在此多年的美好見證盡顯於數百字間。至於中大優美的環境、優秀的教師、豐富的學術資源、多有助力的行政人員，凡此種種只不過是中大最流於表面，而不足為道的優點罷了——如同空氣，久居其間便習慣了它們的存在；但若離開，便會窒息。所以請容許我在此分享一些個人的，但也深刻的美好體驗：聯結，我在這裡所經曆的一種聯結的感覺——好似婚姻，“from I and me, to we and us”。在來中大以前，學術研究於我而言是一種孤寂的生活，儘管我癡迷於這種狀態——青燈黃卷，皓首窮經，對於一位古典神學的學者而言，還有比這更美妙的生活方式嗎？有的。這是我在中大多年後會給出的答案。在這裡，我見證了愛如何被白白地賜予；重擔如何被他人共擔；美德如何“道成肉身”。當我在這種真實而美好的人際交互之中再去閱讀那些古老的文本，我方才對它們有了更深刻的領悟。先賢的情感與意志，跨越了數個世紀降臨到我的身上，卻沒有絲毫的磨損變異——“聖婚”，這是一個在神秘主義神學中常見的意象，但在中大的這些年，“聖婚”，是我真實的生命體驗——這種體驗並不全仰仗於靈感於某個瞬間的垂青，而是一直有日常生活中的點滴為之鋪路。比如我的博士選題，那是一個很“任性”且冒險的題目，儘管我可以為之羅列出諸多“堂而皇之”的學術理由，但真實原因只是個人的，抱以宗教的虔誠。但當我以此冒險的提案去找導師時，大家都對它的風險心知肚明，但他卻未曾要求我放棄，去選擇一個保險但“無趣”的課題。他所做的，只是以他深厚的學識和敏銳的洞見幫助我完善這個提案，使它合理，使它專業，使我個人的熱情能以合適的方式展現，成為公共的關切。到現在我剛剛通過開題答辯，一路過來有諸多老師為此頗多助力。我無需費盡口舌地向他們證明我的意志，面對我的冒險，他們只是默契地給予指點，默契地包容、接納、理解，這是我們的意志。於是，“聖婚”不僅僅是某種難言的神秘經驗，不僅僅是藉著青燈黃卷而與先賢的“聖徒相通”，還有在這裡與每一個人日常而瑣碎的交互，“from I and me, to we and us”。至此，請容我修正開篇的妄語：“中大優美的環境、優秀的教師、豐富的學術資源、多有助力的行政人員，凡此種種”並不是“中大最流於表面，而不足為道的優點”，它們是“新婦華美的嫁衣”，當內在的美德充溢外顯，自有華袍與皇冠為之加冕。

Ms. Cui Yuan Lily 崔媛女士   

Admitted in 2025

I chose the PhD Programme in Religious Studies at CUHK for its international vision and strong academic community. Based in Hong Kong, the department connects Asia with the wider world and offers access to global faculty, cutting-edge research, and lectures from leading scholars. This combination creates an inspiring environment for doctoral training.

My most rewarding experience has been the daily exchange with supervisors and classmates from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. These conversations, whether in seminars or informal settings, continually challenge me to refine my ideas and broaden my perspective.

My current research investigates the role of divination in late imperial Chinese Buddhism, analysing its practices and their dialogue with indigenous systems of divination. Before coming to CUHK, I studied at Imperial College Business School and worked as a financial analyst at HSBC UK. CUHK’s Religious Studies Programme brings together rigorous scholarship and international dialogue, making it an ideal place to study religion in a global context.

Mr. Hussein A. H. Hassan   
Admitted in 2024

What brought an academic from Cairo to Hong Kong? After years as an Assistant Lecturer at Cairo University, I wanted a wider horizon that deepens method and broadens perspective. I found it in CUHK’s PhD in Religious Studies, a global classroom that welcomed my background. In my field, Theology, Divinity and Religious Studies is ranked #32 worldwide (QS 2025), the top in Hong Kong. More important than numbers is the daily culture of close mentorship and serious work across disciplines.

My project examines the Golden Rule, the ethic of treating others as you would like to be treated. I ask a simple question: can this ethic serve as a practical basis for Jewish and Muslim dialogue, and under what conditions? I map its ethical limits in representative sources from both traditions, and I test conditions from social and moral psychology that may restrict or enable its use. The aim is practical: identify when reciprocity crosses boundaries and show how the findings can inform real dialogue and peacebuilding.

For me, the best learning experiences came in seminars and workshops with peers from Hong Kong and mainland China, South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States. Teaching assistant roles in World Religions and the History of the Arab World turn theory into a dynamic dialogue, and Hong Kong’s religious diversity offers first-hand encounters no textbook can match.

I have gained a sharper research architecture, a habit of measured inference, and a network that spans traditions. CUHK provides serious scholarship, reliable infrastructure, humane supervision, and a respectful academic community. It is an inspiring place to grow as a scholar, and I highly recommend it to anyone who seeks to make a meaningful contribution.