The Beijing Center for Chinese Studies, the preeminent Jesuit education center in mainland China, had the honor of welcoming Bishop Stephen Chow, SJ, to our campus on Thursday, April 20, 2023. Bishop Chow was previously the Provincial of the Chinese Province of the Jesuits and is a longtime friend of TBC, so it gave us great joy to welcome him again to TBC’s offices as the Bishop of Hong Kong.
Accompanying Bishop Chow were Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha, OFM, and Fr. Peter Choy, Vicar General. During the visit, the guests discussed TBC’s mission and how TBC and the Hong Kong Diocese can work together, kindly met all TBC staff individually, pored over our rare book collection, and learned more about our short-term impactful travel program, ChinaContact, while enjoying tea in our newly debuted teahouse.
“Bishop Stephen Chow’s visit underscores the importance of both TBC’s and the diocese’s roles as bridges between mainland China and Hong Kong,” said Simon Koo, Executive Director of The Beijing Center. “Over thirty years ago, Bishop Chow was a teacher in my high school, so to reflect on The Beijing Center’s role as a hub for education and exchange with him is something very special on both a personal and professional level, and I really look forward to the future of TBC and Hong Kong relations.”
Bishop Chow’s visit to Beijing was historic, as it was the first visit from a Hong Kong bishop to mainland China since Cardinal John Baptist Wu, before the handover of the city. He also visited churches and the tomb of the Venerable Matteo Ricci and emphasized that the Hong Kong Diocese, much like The Beijing Center, serves as a bridge.
Over this past weekend, some of our students enrolled at Minzu University of China took their annual Spring Outing – this year, to Gubei Water Town. Situated about a 2-hour drive northeast of Beijing, the April weather made it absolutely perfect to explore for a spring outing. It surrounds various canals and offshoots of Yuanyang lake.
If you ever want to get a taste of Old Beijing, by far one of the best ways is to visit the hutongs. They’ve conceptually been around all the way since the 1200s, and in their most modern forms exist as protected alleyways and streets surrounded by old traditional houses and neighborhoods in the heart of Beijing and are recognized in China to be an important part of cultural heritage in the city.