The French Centre for Research on Contemporary China (CEFC) and the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau are thrilled to announce that “Nuit des Idées” (Night of Ideas) is back in Hong Kong with an exciting programme throughout 2025! This global event, celebrated across five continents, invites participants to explore the theme of “Empowerment” (“Pouvoir agir”) through a series of discussions and activities.

The CEFC and the Consulate general are proud to co-organise the 2025 edition of Night of Ideas with Asia Society Hong Kong Center with a festive event taking place on the 7th of April.

Following the launch, three thematic events will delve deeper into specific areas of empowerment:

• Blue Talk: Preserving Our Ocean in May
• Ageing, social inclusion and intergenerational initiatives in October
• Rights of LGBT+ people in December

Night of Ideas Launch Event : April 7, 2025

Time: 6 pm-8:30 pm (tbc)
Location: Asia Society Hong Kong Center (9 Justice Drive, Admiralty, Hong Kong)

The Night of Ideas will commence with a launch event at the Asia Society Hong Kong Center on April 7, 2025.

During this event, there will be a round table on the topic of “Empowerment” as an invitation to ask ourselves how we can take effective action on major contemporary global issues, to explore the participation of young people and civil society in public decision-making, and to provide a platform for debate.

Speakers at the launch event

Dr. Kay Lam Chi-yan will be one of our distinguished speakers for this round table. Dr. Lam brings extensive experience in policy research and higher education, having served as a Senior Research Fellow at the Hong Kong Policy Research Institute and the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the HKSAR Government. Currently, she is the Research Director at a policy consulting firm and a Consultant at the Department of Public and International Affairs at City University of Hong Kong. Dr. Lam will delve into the topic of “empowerment” through public engagement, discussing community initiatives that empower individuals and groups to collaboratively address challenges and highlighting the significance of impact studies in these efforts.

Fion Leung will also share her insights. Fion Leung is the Co-founder and CEO of Time Auction, a charity that promotes volunteerism which started as a side project in 2014 and registered as a charity in 2017. Since then, Fion has dedicated herself full-time to leveraging technology to drive scalable impact. At Time Auction, volunteering goes beyond traditional norms. Volunteers are encouraged with empowering experiences, from cooking with Michelin-starred chefs to creative workshops. In 2020, Fion launched a platform that efficiently connects skilled volunteers with nonprofits that can benefit from their talents, addressing a talent gap in the nonprofit sector. To date, the Time Auction community has contributed over 310,000 volunteer hours. Fion’s work has earned her recognition on the Tatler Hong Kong’s Generation T List 2019, as a GLG Social Impact Fellow in 2021, and as an Asia 21 2022 Class of Young Leaders. Prior to her venture into philanthropy, Fion worked as a Product Evangelist at a media startup, Notey, and a Graduate Analyst at Barclays. She graduated from HKUST with a degree in Business Administration.

This roundtable will be moderated by Dr. Agnes Ku, renowned sociologist, Associate Professor of social sciences at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Faculty Associate at the Centre for Cultural Sociology at Yale University and specialist in issues relating to citizenship and the public sphere in Hong Kong.

Main topics of the debate cycle 2025

The launch will also include the following planned activities around the three main topics of the cycle of our debate of ideas:

• Preserving Our Ocean: an exhibition of marine life photographs will be available at the cocktail area. A Virtual Reality VR experience created by professor Cindy Lam from HKUST’s Department of Ocean Science will be featured with two headsets available. These activities will invite participants to think about ocean protection in the context of the upcoming third United Nations Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France where world leaders and major stakeholders as well as companies will gather to discuss on ways to save our ocean for a sustainable future.
• Ageing, social inclusion and intergenerational initiatives: A 10-minute performance by elderly individuals with Parkinson’s, supported by students from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, will be presented as part of the Jockey Club’s “Dance Well” program. Some of the dancers taking part in this beautiful program will share their thoughts on this initiative planting the seeds for new ideas to grow within the audience.
• Rights of LGBT+ People: A preview of a short documentary will be screened with a presentation by the filmmaker. The public will be invited to view the full film and participate in the discussions at the December event.

To register please visit the Asia Society event page: https://asiasocietyhk.glueup.com/event/night-of-ideas-136740/

About The Night of Ideas (in French: La Nuit des Idées)

Launched in Paris for the first time in 2016, the Night of Ideas in Hong Kong is part of a worldwide operation that aims at sharing the French culture of debate, with the support of the Institut Français of Paris. From Seoul to Los Angeles, from Tokyo to Paris, passing through Singapore, Hong Kong and New York… every year over 200 events are organized in 110 countries!

Local partners in past editions 

The event has been featured in Hong Kong since 2018 with major local partners:

• Asia Society (2018, Artificial Intelligence);
• Hong Kong Design Institute (2019, Night of Architecture);
• Saint James’ Settlement (2020, The Revolution of Sharing);
• Hong Kong Museum of Arts (2021, St[art] again);
• Asia Society (2022, [Re]Build Heritage: Beyond the Skyline);
• Fondation de France and Asia Society (2024, A Sport named Solutions).

Philosophers, writers, researchers, intellectuals, students, whistleblowers, artists and political figures propose their vision of the present and their solutions to the challenges of tomorrow on issues of equality, ecology, education, urban planning, science, policy and technology.

Official website: www.lanuitdesidees.com

About Asia Society

Asia Society Hong Kong Center (ASHK) is an independent non-governmental educational organization established in 1990 by a group of Hong Kong community leaders led by Sir Quo-wei Lee, then Chairman of Hang Seng Bank. It is one of 14 centers of Asia Society’s diverse network across the globe, with the mission to navigate shared futures for Asia and the world in the fields of arts and culture, and business and policy.