Carol Pui Ha Chow

The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Exchange to Queensland University of Technology, Australia

2007 was an extraordinary year. It was the year that my dream came true – the simple, but not easily attainable, dream of living and studying abroad. Thanks to the Endeavor Australia Cheung Kong Awards, I was granted a precious opportunity to live out my dream in the astonishingly beautiful country of Australia in the second half of 2007.

The dream is exceedingly colourful, made up of thousands of pieces of wonderful experiences in my academic life, as well as my everyday life. Academically, my dissertation – a study on the cultural economy of the most prominent film studio complex in Mainland China – has benefited greatly from my host institution, the Creative Industries Faculty at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Whilst creative industries are invariantly conceived by a lot of countries as a key part of the economic development in this new century, not every government allocates an equal amount of resources to developing this field. Situated alongside the ARC Center of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation, as well as real industries in a precinct, the Creative Industry Faculty at QUT not only provides an ideal environment for the study of this burgeoning field, but also reflects the vision and endeavours of the Australian government. I was so glad to have been given the chance to study there. My dissertation benefited tremendously from the valuable advice from my supervisor, as well as many other distinguished scholars. The high quality seminars and conferences offered also significantly enriched my knowledge of the field. To make my contribution, I organized a study group with fellow graduates. We exchanged ideas and helped each other in our thesis development. During the exchange, I also gave 3 presentations on various occasions, sharing my research on the one hand and receiving useful feedback on the other.

In addition, I paid a visit to the Village Roadshow Film Studio on the Gold Coast, watching the production of an Australian movie and interviewing the producer. This specific visit allowed me to grasp a better picture of the differences and the similarities between film industries and studio complexes development in Australia and China. Hopefully, such cross-referencing will generate a conclusion with stronger policy implication beneficial to both countries. Apart from this, the trip also presented an important networking opportunity that will undoubtedly be useful for my future career development. The most unexpected achievement, however, was the production of a collaborative dance video and a conference paper with QUT graduate students. Our work was accepted for presentation in the World Dance Alliance Submit 2008. We wish the collaboration could be continued and can include more countries in the future.

Besides these academic rewards, I have made a lot of good friends of different nationalities; through daily exchange with them I have realized what the essence of a melting pot is. I also witnessed the Australian presidential election process; through it I truly experienced the invaluable treasure of democracy. In short, the half year’s visit to Australia has exposed me to a new and wonderful world. My horizons were widened, my knowledge enriched, my confidence increased. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Cheung Kong Group and the Australian government for giving me the award and making my dream come true.

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