If one day all of us vanished in Hong Kong, would there be any evidence that we all, and the society and the humanities that we cultivated, have ever existed? Some easy answers might be architecture, literature, and museum collections.

MoCC Scholar, Dr Henry Hung, will lead us on a less-taken path to look at some trees around Lake Ad Excellentiam. We will travel back in time to explore the root of botany with the medicinal trees. We will look at the incense trees that have likely given Hong Kong its name and reflect on the identity of plants and us. We will find that one living fossil and ask the question, ‘What makes a tree a tree?’.

But perhaps most importantly, to quote the American writer Elizabeth Lawrence, ‘Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn.’

About the speaker

Forest scientist Dr Henry Hung is a Croucher Fellow at the University of Oxford, where he is also a Lecturer in Biology at St Hilda's College and a Helen Zhang Research Associate at Jesus College.

Henry's main research concerns how trees adapt in this changing world. He was named a National Geographic Explorer in 2022 and awarded the Irene Manton Prize in 2024 for his research on critically endangered rosewoods. He was listed on Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe in 2025.

He obtained his bachelor's and doctorate degrees at CUHK and Oxford respectively. He served as a MoCC Ambassador between 2014 and 2017 during his years at CUHK, then subsequently named the MoCC Scholar in 2024.

Admission is free and all are welcome.

Workshop:

*Priority is given to the members of ‘Friends of MoCC’ (Register now)