Hong Kong educator Joseph Lau named finalist in culture category

Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: educator who removes death’s stigma through culture

Joseph Lau Yui-yip has been named among the finalists in the culture category of this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards.

The awards are co-organised by Sino Group and the South China Morning Post.

Lau heads the student affairs department of Polytechnic University’s college of professional and continuing education.

He has spent years researching subjects ranging from funeral customs to a little-known Hakka animal dance.

His approach also takes students beyond conventional classroom lessons.

Lau has taken students to cemeteries, funeral parlours and heritage exhibitions because he believes some parts of Hong Kong culture are best understood outside the classroom.

The visits bring students into contact with cultural subjects that can otherwise remain distant or difficult to discuss.

Funeral customs are among the areas Lau has researched, linking his educational work with a subject often treated as uncomfortable or avoided.

His work has put him among the finalists in the culture category, recognising his efforts around cultural learning and research.

The source material describes his work as including both funeral customs and the lesser-known Hakka animal dance, showing the range of subjects covered by his research.

Through these activities, Lau encourages students to learn about culture outside the classroom.

Source: South China Morning Post