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PhD students Anqi Li from the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (SMLC) and Stephanie Ng from the School of English have been named in this year’s Prestige 40 under 40 and Gen.T Leaders of Tomorrow—two esteemed Hong Kong lists that celebrate the outstanding achievements and contributions of trailblazing young leaders in the region.

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Prestige 40 under 40

Anqi is an independent art curator.  She arrived in Hong Kong in 2019 to join Para Site, a contemporary art centre, as curator of education and public programmes.  Already holding a Master’s in Education from Harvard, she has now returned to academia to pursue a PhD at HKU’s SMLC. 

Arriving in Hong Kong piqued Anqi’s curiosity about the cultural, economic, societal, and political incentives behind an establishment such as M+. Her research results have cumulated into her first academic journal article, titled “Bilbao Effect 2.0: The Making of M+”, which is published in the Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art.

In her article, Anqi terms the Bilbao Effect 2.0 (with the original term referring to the ripple effects of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao’s establishment in 1997), exploring how the M+ museum in Hong Kong navigates the complex balance of soft power, museum governance, collection strategy, and architectural design.  She discusses the institution’s efforts to be both socio-economically promising and strategically prudent as a government-led project, highlighting the ongoing struggle between cultural autonomy and broader social, economic, and political ambitions. 

As one of the 2024 class of Prestige 40 Under 40, Anqi is being recognised for her contributions to the Hong Kong art community as both an academic and an independent art curator.  In her recent interview with Prestige, Anqi expressed that one of the most rewarding aspects of her PhD journey is the broadening of global awareness. “The fact that my research allows me to expand my understanding of the world is what I love most about being an academic,” she said.

Gen.T Leaders of Tomorrow

Stephanie is a mental health advocate, entrepreneur, and researcher whose work aims to foster caring conversations on body image and mental health topics, particularly amongst young people in Hong Kong. She is the founder of Body Banter, a registered charity in Hong Kong on a mission to empower young people to spark conversations about body image with curiosity and courage.

In her role as a research fellow with local mental health charity Mind HK and as a PhD candidate in the School of English at HKU, she conducts research on how storytelling shapes perspectives towards mental illness and recovery in Hong Kong, and incorporates these insights into local evidence-based mental health initiatives.

Stephanie is also the author of Big Bites Break Boundaries, a book in which she brings together pieces of personal and professional experiences to recount her journey of breaking free from deeply entrenched cultural narratives—stories that have shaped her perceptions of what it means to be a ‘pretty (靚)’, ‘good (乖)’, and ‘accomplished (叻)’ woman.  A collection of sporadic story fragments, this book is a statement of resistance against cultural norms that often silence and dismiss stories that are 'unfinished' or 'unpolished'.

Enthusiastic in promoting mental health, Stephanie has been actively engaging in the Graduate School’s Wellness Ambassador programme to help foster a sense of community amongst research postgraduate students. She shares her insights with peers, stating, “Just like all the best stories out there, the combination of ups and downs is what makes our personal life stories colourful, captivating, and creative.”

Join us in celebrating the outstanding achievements of these two talented researchers and wishing them all the best in their next adventures!