On April 26, 2024, a research activity was conducted for the Year-3 students majoring in Chinese Culture and Global Communication (CCGC) program from the Department of Communication. This research activity served as part of the capstone course on "GCAP 3263: Special Topics in Communication and Chinese Culture." Dr. Wei Chin Wong, who is the course instructor and the convenor of the Final Year Project (FYP), stated that “the aim of this course is to provide students with an opportunity to conduct an independent interdisciplinary study that contributes to their FYP in the CCGC program (DCom), particularly focusing on practical research methods, theories and skills necessary for addressing relevant topics, including research question identification, project planning, data collection and analysis, and reporting”.

The research activity took place at the Huitong Village. The students were divided into seven groups. Each group selected an issue related to Chinese culture and communication at the Huitong Village that interested them. The objective of this research activity was to provide students an opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills gained in the regular classrooms through a real-world interview.

Figure 1: Students were exploring and conducting random street interview at the Huitong Village

The following is a brief summary of the research findings gathered by each group:

Group 1: Aegis Yu, Sett Dai, Steven Zhou & Robert Yang

Interviewees: Owners of Hui Qi hostel

Information gathered: The group explores the uniqueness of traditional architecture and buildings in Huitong Village. The owners of Hui Qi hostel, who are the key informants, shared with the group that the village was divided into the “new village” and the “old village." The buildings used for hostels and restaurants were renovated and were not the original structures from the original old building. The group also discovered that the government has not provided sufficient financial supports to the local businesses in the village, leading to various challenges to preserve the local architecture.

Group 2: Claudia Zhang & Phyllis Zhao

Interviewee: The cashier of February Coffee (二月咖啡)

Information gathered: The major customers of the coffee shop are UIC students, their parents, and visitors from the Guangdong Province, Macau, and Hong Kong regions. Even during the pandemic, visitors from Macau continued to visit Huitong Village.

Group 3: Zoey Zhao, Meg Duan, Iris Wang & Rebecca Liu

Interviewee: The Village Head, Mr. Mo

Information gathered: During the interview, the group explores the influence of night market and vendors to the business and restaurants located at the Huitong Village. Mr. Mo shared his insights from a point of village's development and management. Mr. Mo also mentioned that their business has not been affected as their target customers were not college students from BNU-HKBU United International College (UIC). However, he acknowledged that some cafes in the village might encounter difficulty and loosing customers due to the increased competition.

Group 4: Noreen Deng, Frida Zhang, Leia Liu, and Cecilia Shen

Interviewee: Founder of February Coffee (二月咖啡)

Information gathered: The group interviewed the founder of February Coffee to understand their interior design and the coffee shop’s philosophy. The founder explained that the coffee shop's design aimed to combine natural scenery and human spirit, distinguishing it from other local cafes. This unique philosophy also won this coffee shop an award and certificate for its courtyard design, which shows the integration of modern architecture with the nature of traditional village.

Group 5: Elaine Yang, Max Ma and Ziang Lin

Interviewees: Shop owners of local souvenir and bookstore

Information gathered: The group explores the roles that local government play in preserving and maintaining the ancient buildings in Huitong Village. The students found out from the interviewees that the shop owners are not allowed to do any renovations or cause any damages to the building structures in Huitong village, such as its columns, corridors or rooftops, etc.; while all renovation plans must be approved by the government. Meanwhile, they also learned from the interviewee that the current development of Huitong Village is due to the rural villages’ revitalization policy in 2020, and Huitong Village has been rated as one of the top four iconic villages by the local government. However, from the entrepreneur’s point of view, the management skills and sustainability are not sufficient in such policies.  

Group 6: Rocia Gao & Sophie Wu

Interviewees: Founder and assistant of February Coffee (二月咖啡)

Information gathered: The group interviewed the founder and the assistant to explore about economic changes that caused by the neighbouring night market and street food next to the February Coffee. The interviewees stated that while the night market does not bring a significant effect or competition to their business because their target customers are different. People who consume at the coffee shop are usually the customers who prioritize better food quality and dining environment.

Group 7: Scott Hou & Hongji Wu

Interviewee: Owner of Huitong Li (会同里)

Information gathered: The group interviewed the business owner of Huitong Li, which is a snack shop located at Huitong Village. They ordered an Oreo smoothie and started to chat with the owner. They learned about challenges and how difficult it is to run a business during and after the pandemic at Huitong village.

Figure 2: A group of student-researchers from CCGC program.

(From the Right to Left) Scott Hou, Ziang Lin, Sett Dai, Steven Zhou, Robert Yang, Aegis Yu, Hongji Wu, Max Ma and Elaine Yang.

Despite the students conducting random street interviews for the first time in Huitong Village, this research activity has provided valuable insights into the issues related to Chinese village and its culture when conducted outside the regular classroom. Each group had a chance to learn how to gather information through interviews with relevant stakeholders, shedding light on various aspects such as customer demographics, design philosophy, economic impact, unique offerings, competition, and village development. These findings will undoubtedly contribute to the students’ communication and research skills, and deepening their understanding of real-world issues in the field.

Figure 3: A group photo in front of the Mo’s Ancestral Hall, Huitong Village

Acknowledgements:

February Coffee (二月咖啡)

Huitong Li (会同里)

Mr. Mo, the village head of Huitong

Miss Connie Li

Reporters: Aegis Yu, Noreen Deng, Frida Zhang,

Phyllis Zhao, Scott Hou, Zoey Zhao

Edited by Wei Chin Wong

For more information about the General Education Capstone course and the Chinese Culture and Global Communication (CCGC) program, please visit the official webpage of Communication Department.