HKUST Annual Report 2021-2022

29 HKUST Annual Report 2021-2022 Lab to Market History of Late Qing Cantonese Migrants Prof. Steven B. MILES (Humanities) published Opportunity in Crisis: Cantonese Migrants and the State in Late Qing China (Harvard University Asia Center), a monograph exploring the history of late Qing Cantonese migration along the West River basin during war and reconstruction, and the impact of those developments on the relationship between state and migrant elites on the Guangxi frontier. The book places Cantonese upriver and overseas migration within the same framework, reconceiving the late Qing as an age of Cantonese diasporic expansion rather than one of state decline. Exploring Characteristics of Chinese Human Capital A study on “Elite Chinese University Students, 1920- 2020” by Prof. James Z. Lee (Social Science and Humanities) and co-researchers used a big data approach to compare over 5,000 individuals who comprise the elected academicians in the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, and the selected experts of the China Association for Science and Technology, with 300,000 elite university graduates in the People’s Republic of China and Republic of China to differentiate the distinctive characteristics of Chinese human capital. The research analyzed spatial and social origins, identifying patterns of academic performance, educational opportunity, and career aspiration and their different impact. Insights on How to Mitigate Urban Haze Prof. WANG Zhe (Environment) worked with a global research team to expand understanding of haze pollution over Hong Kong and Mainland megacities by revealing the significant role of anthropogenic low-volatility organic vapors on secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation. SOAs contribute a significant fraction to such air pollution in urbanized regions. A comprehensive study in Hong Kong was carried out concurrently with Mainland and international researchers in Beijing, Nanjing, and Shanghai, leading to novel insights for effectively mitigating urban air pollution issues and easing related health effects.