History

Founded in 2001, the Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IHSS) initially focused on comparative regional studies of China, encompassing both historical and contemporary perspectives. During its first five years, the Institute established multiple multi-year research training clusters centered on topics such as historical preservation, lineage formations, religious practices, and rituals of local communities in northwest and southwest China. Subsequently, additional clusters were developed to explore social science issues in coastal cities, particularly the Yangtze and Pearl River deltas, including urbanization, migrant health, and the modern public sphere.

Since 2006, IHSS has expanded its scope to examine China’s global engagements and the dynamic developments across Asia. While continuing to deepen its comparative regional studies of China, the Institute has also forged strategic alliances across the United States, Europe, Singapore, India, and the Middle East. Key partnerships include Yale University, the Harvard-Yenching Institute, the National University of Singapore, and the Social Science Research Council. The Institute’s “Asian Connections” agenda has facilitated multi-year research clusters on topics such as historical trading empires, contemporary financial flows, urban ecologies in Asia’s mega-cities, colonial medicine and global public health, indigenous charities, and Chinese-African diasporas.

In 2009, the longstanding Centre of Asian Studies (CAS) at The University of Hong Kong joined IHSS. This merger revitalized the Institute, incorporating CAS’s programs on family business and business history into IHSS’s broader research and teaching portfolio. Since then, IHSS has continued to grow in both size and influence, driven by key research clusters that unite local and international scholars, and leverage public and private resources:

A major milestone was the award of a HK$74 million Areas of Excellence (AoE) grant for the project “Quantitative History of China: Historical Roots of Recent Success and Future Development,” which commenced on January 1, 2023. Led by Principal Coordinator and IHSS Director Zhiwu Chen, this initiative involves collaborators from IHSS, HKU Business School, and other universities in Hong Kong and beyond. As part of this effort, the Institute has jointly established the Centre for Quantitative History (CQH) with HKU Business School to serve as a dedicated platform for research and dissemination.

In addition to research, IHSS has launched innovative educational programs, including a one-year Master of Family Wealth Management (FWM) program starting in the 2024/2025 academic year. This program builds on the Institute’s longstanding expertise in the history of family business, dynasties, and succession, while integrating current knowledge in asset allocation and investment management.

With a growing group of scholars supported by a dedicated team of administrative members, the Institute looks forward to the next phase of development with enhanced synergy and collaboration across the clusters and among the activities/programmes.