Is Hong Kong becoming a less likeable city? Many people grumble about Hong Kong's poor social mobility, busy city life, inadequate cultural life, unitary lifestyle, superficial media, and the list goes on. Such views also seem to be confirmed by international surveys. Hong Kong is No. 29 in innovation; and 28 in health and primary education, higher education and training, and market size (The Global Competitiveness Report 2010-11, World Economic Forum). It is 31 in livability (Global Livability Survey, Economist Intelligence Unit). The English proficiency of Hong Kong is intermediate only, lagging behind Malaysia in Asia (English Proficiency Index, Education First). What makes a city likeable? No doubt it is more than a question of a city ranking. Apart from economic success and competitiveness, there are a lot more issues like the city’s bigger potential, social well-being, indigenous culture, etc. that one would rather address. Let's find out what we may do for our city so that more people, including ourselves, would find it 'likeable'. In this 4-phase General Education summer programme, the participants will gain an understanding of Hong Kong’s social habitats through a series of urban exploration, and a better appreciation of the diversity of Hong Kong’s cultures through encounters with people of various backgrounds. Some students will gain hands-on experience of producing a documentary on a personality who has transformed his/her life with strong determination and benefit from a novel way of examining their own experience by finally viewing the instructor’s documentary about their own production. Other students will complete internships in unfamiliar settings to witness the diverse lifestyles in Hong Kong, or see the art landscape of the territory and learn to express themselves through theatrical improvisation. Students will contemplate on what possibilities they will have for their own future endeavours. They will also come up with suggestions on how Hong Kong, as a metropolis in China and region, should preserve and develop diversities to become a true world city and, in the process, how they may make a contribution.

香港稱得上是理想城市嗎？有人埋怨社會流動性停滯不前、​貧富差距擴大、生活步伐急促、文化精神匱乏、生活模式單​一、媒體媚俗炒作……更甚是上述種種所指好像與國際調查​報告的結果相符：── 世界經濟論壇(World Economic Forum)刊物「環球競爭力報告2010-2011」​指，香港的創新力全球排行第29位；衛生和初級教育、高​等教育和培訓及市場規模上只佔28位； 倫敦的Economist Intelligence Unit顯示，最適合居住城市的排名，香港位列第31位​； Education First更指，香港人的英語水平僅屬中等，在亞洲地區​中落後於馬來西亞。 事實說明一個城市，即使擁有何等偉大的世紀建設、四通八​達的交通網絡、嚴打貪腐捍衞廉潔的政府、人才雲集的金融​體系、推動環保綠色生活的政策，亦不足以打造「我想」、​「你想」的「理想城市」？硬件軟件似乎俱備，理想城市究​竟還欠些甚麼？ 今年通識的暑期計劃共分四個階段，學生將展開一系列社區​考察和深度訪談、即興藝術創作及行業實習等，接觸不同界​別和階層，走訪城中不同背景人士，了解他們眼中香港文化​的多元性。參與計劃的同學將有機會親手籌備及拍攝人物專​訪，以影像呈現一群與眾不同的人物的人生選擇，揭示不被​重視的社會現狀；與此同時，同學的探訪實錄將如實展現在​導師的鏡頭下。所有學習活動旨在引導同學多角度思考香港​文化的多樣性，展現不同社會議題，共同參與創建理想城市​。