Yale-China Chinese Language Academy


Yale-China Chinese Language Academy, formerly the New Asia - Yale-in-China Chinese Language Centre, or Yale-China Chinese Language Centre, is a Cantonese and Mandarin language study centre at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The CLA offers small-class instruction programmes for students with various objectives. These include Cantonese and Mandarin for foreigners, Mandarin for Hong Kong people, and Cantonese for Mainland Chinese students and migrants to Hong Kong.
The CLA is headquartered at the CUHK campus in Sha Tin, New Territories, and had additional classrooms in Jordan, Kowloon from July 2017 until May 2020. Its name has changed from CLC to CLA in 2024, due to its merger with the Centre for China Studies.
WWW ycclc.cuhk.edu.hk

History

The CLA was established by Jennie Mak Ling in 1961 to teach Cantonese to foreigners. Ling studied at Diocesan Girls' School and Yale Divinity School. After returning to Hong Kong, she began teaching Chinese in her family home.
In 1963, the school received support from New Asia College and the Yale-China Association and was renamed New Asia–Yale-in-China Chinese Language Centre. It moved to New Asia in the spring of 1963 and was formally incorporated into The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1974. The Yale-China Association formed a partnership with New Asia College in Hong Kong in the early 1950s, after the victory of the communist revolution.
A new headquarters for the centre, located at the CUHK campus across the street from University station, was built at a cost of $1.5 million with the support of the Fong Shu Fook Tong Foundation. The so-named Fong Shu Chuen Building was opened on 24 January 1980 by Chief Secretary Jack Cater. This building remains the headquarters of the centre.
In 1998, the centre launched a Cantonese-language programme for Mainland Chinese students.
In August 2024, the centre was being merged and became part of the Centre for China Studies, thus was renamed as "Yale-China Chinese Language Academy", while its Chinese name remains unchanged.

Notable alumni