Event Summary
On 26 September 2025, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Arts Administrator Office suddenly announced on its website the cancellation of a scheduled October 20, 2025 lecture by renowned playwright Candace Chong Mui-ngam at Shaw Hall, citing that “the university was unable to provide a venue for this event.” The lecture, titled “The Birth of a Drama: From an Idea to Performance,” had been open for registration to alumni and the public since early September and was free of charge. The cancellation occurred just weeks after Chong publicly revealed on 9 September 2025 that she had been systematically blacklisted by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Leisure and Cultural Services Department, and West Kowloon Cultural District Authority. Chong disclosed that her acclaimed play “We are Gay” scheduled for November revival at Xiqu Centre’s Grand Theatre was cancelled, and that she had been explicitly told “You’ve been blacklisted. Both shows must stop.” CUHK responded to media inquiries with a 40-word statement saying only that it “was unable to provide a venue for this event” and that “CUHK’s current policies and operations for campus facility usage remain normal.” Notably, another theatre workshop scheduled for October 16 by The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) lecturer Fung Ching-ching proceeded without cancellation. Chong responded on Facebook stating Hong Kong’s management suffers from “ignorance, mediocrity and cowardice,” adding “they don’t know what they’re harming, what they’re destroying, what they’re afraid of.” The CUHK cancellation extends Chong’s blacklisting from cultural venues to academic institutions, demonstrating comprehensive exclusion from public platforms.