Hong Kong professor apologises for comments on marriage and women in academia, but maintains he ‘did not discriminate’

A university professor has apologised after his comments on gender and marriage at a college-wide presentation sparked controversy on social media, with students accusing him of advocating misogynistic and backward gender norms.

According to posts on Threads, Terence Chong, an associate professor of economics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and associate head of CUHK’s New Asia College, said at a biweekly college assembly that academic achievements are “useless” for women.

“They would have to fish for a golden tortoise in the end,” several posts quoted Chong as saying, referring to a Chinese euphemism for a rich husband.

He also allegedly urged female students not to enrol in PhD programmes as “a woman’s youth is very precious.”

Chong denied making those remarks in response to media enquiries.

A presentation slide from Tuesday’s assembly circulating on Threads bears a heading that reads: “The cost-benefit of girls fishing for a golden tortoise.”

‘Old-fashioned social norms’

Chong delivered the talk, titled “How to invest in your life?”, on Tuesday evening. The assembly had a registration quota of 1,420 students.

Chong’s speech sparked backlash among students. One Threads user posted a screenshot of their comments on a feedback form, in which they said that Chong espoused “old-fashioned social norms of gender roles.”

“This looks down upon women’s integrity as human beings” and “restricts their roles to sexual relations,” the user said, adding in their post that it was their first time filling in the form. “These are clearly misogynistic beliefs,” another Threads user said.

On social media, students also called on the school to launch an official probe into the talk and demanded an apology from Chong, with some demanding he resign as associate college head.

Replying to local media, Chong apologised but maintained that he “did not discriminate.”

He said that he believed both men and women could find rich partners but did not explain why he singled out women in his presentation.

HKFP has reached out to Chong and CUHK for comment.

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James Lee is a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press with an interest in culture and social issues. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Journalism from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he witnessed the institution’s transformation over the course of the 2019 extradition bill protests and after the passing of the Beijing-imposed security law.

Since joining HKFP in 2023, he has covered local politics, the city’s housing crisis, as well as landmark court cases including the 47 democrats national security trial. He was previously a reporter at The Standard where he interviewed pro-establishment heavyweights and extensively covered the Covid-19 pandemic and Hong Kong’s political overhauls under the national security law.