Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University celebrated the unveiling of the newly established Centre for Foreign Languages (CFL) on 27 August 2025. The ceremony marked the merger of the English Language Centre (ELC) and the Centre for Foreign Languages and Culture (CFLC), uniting over 40 academic staff into a single, dedicated language teaching centre.
The unveiling ceremony of the Centre for Foreign Languages
The event was honoured by the presence of Prof Tze Ki Hon, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, whose faculty was the previous home of the CFLC, and Prof Guo Haipeng, Dean of the School of General Education, under which the new centre now operates.
Prof Guo recalled the extensive preparations leading to the merger and expressed excitement for the centre's future. The newly formed centre has a dedicated academic team of lecturers, senior lecturers, and professors from over 10 different countries and offers more than 20 language courses, including three mandatory core courses, to approximately 6,500 students each semester.
Dean of the School of General Education Prof Guo Haipeng speaks on the ceremony
The unveiling ceremony was filled with celebration. Ms Faye Luo performed Baixue on the Guqin, and a team of teachers from the former ELC: Ms Stella Shi, Dr Gabby Cai, Ms Jenny Chang, and Dr Zhang Xueshan, performed a welcoming song, Hello to All the Friends of the World, to greet their new colleagues from the foreign language programmes.
Teachers and staff perform on stage to welcome new colleagues
The highlight of the event was the unveiling of the new CFL nameplate by Prof Guo, Prof Hon, Mr Jon Corbett, the Head of the CFL, and Ms Sophie Dubois.
“It is so exciting to see our dedicated language teachers united. This merger makes perfect sense and positions us for an exciting future of collaboration and growth in language teaching at BNBU,” Mr Corbett said.
Following the event, a special teaching award was presented by Prof Guo to Ms Gil Wang. Ms Wang was the first recipient of the Collins Family Teaching Award, recognising her outstanding contribution to teaching and service.
Prof Guo presents a certificate to Ms Gil Wang
Light refreshments were provided later for all attending teachers.
All participants of the event enjoy a warm fellowship
From CFL
Editor: Joh Corbett, Cecilia Yu
Photos provided by Candice Cai
