{"id":229573,"date":"2025-10-01T15:09:55","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T07:09:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk\/?post_type=press&p=229573"},"modified":"2026-01-28T17:16:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T09:16:16","slug":"dean-of-cu-medicine-and-comedy-legend-michael-hui-in-dialogue-on-life-and-death-inspiring-medical-students-to-explore-the-subject-from-diverse-perspectives","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk\/en\/press\/dean-of-cu-medicine-and-comedy-legend-michael-hui-in-dialogue-on-life-and-death-inspiring-medical-students-to-explore-the-subject-from-diverse-perspectives\/","title":{"rendered":"Dean of CU Medicine and comedy legend Michael Hui in dialogue on life and death Inspiring medical students to explore the subject from diverse perspectives"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","tags":[],"class_list":["post-229573","press","type-press","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"title_alt":"Dean of CU Medicine and comedy legend Michael Hui in dialogue on life and death\r\nInspiring medical students to explore the subject from diverse perspectives","sub_title_alt":"","press_date":"20251001","keep":false,"details":"

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)\u2019s Faculty of Medicine (CU Medicine) hosted the seminar \u201cFrom heaven to hell: doctors and comedy legend talk life and death\u201d on 29 September 2025, featuring Dr Michael Hui Koon-man<\/strong>, Hong Kong comedy legend, film director, screenwriter and actor; and Professor Philip Chiu Wai-yan<\/strong>, Dean of CU Medicine. Moderated by Professor Tony Mok Shu-kam<\/strong>, Associate Dean (Translation and Entrepreneurship) and Chairman of the Department of Clinical Oncology at CU Medicine, the seminar on life and death education attracted over 300 medical and nursing students and teaching staff. The speakers shared their personal views on death, recalled their closest encounters with it and explored the meaning of life from both scientific and spiritual perspectives.<\/p>\r\n

Death gives life meaning<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

Death is often considered a taboo in Chinese culture. Dr Hui<\/strong> opened with a humorous reference to the lyrics of the Chinese version of Games Gamblers Play (\u9b3c\u99ac\u96d9\u661f)<\/em>, joking that Chinese people rarely talk about death because food is life. Death is more about mindset than physicality from his point of view, he said: \u201cWhen the beauty of life fades from view, death quietly begins its descent. I have always loved filmmaking but when my creativity plateaued for over a decade, it felt like a kind of death.\u201d He added that he believes having something we love and are passionate about is key to enjoying the journey of life.<\/p>\r\n

Professor Chiu<\/strong> said: \u201cI believe that death gives life meaning. Knowing that life is finite motivates people to do what they love doing, and with their best effort.\u201d He recalled his early days as a young doctor, when he witnessed the death of a little girl due to a medical emergency. That first experience of learning about death left him deeply shaken. Though he has become more capable of explaining death to his patients and their families after 30 years of practice, he said he never wants to lose his sense of empathy.
\r\n
\r\nDr Hui<\/strong> revealed that he had once cheated death, recalling a diving trip in Thailand where he came face to face with a shark that was more than three metres long. \u201cAt that moment, the faces of the people who were most important in my life unexpectedly popped into my mind,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n

Asked for his view about the worrying issue of suicides in Hong Kong, Dr Hui<\/strong> said: \u201cLife is so pretty that we have to treasure every bit of it. We are but travellers passing through, with only a few fleeting decades beneath this sky. Be it sunshine or storm, each moment is part of the journey\u2019s unfolding landscape. Life is short \u2013 enjoy every second, every minute, every day with the people you love, and that is the meaning of life.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Empathy is the key to helping medical students understand life and death<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

CU Medicine places a firm emphasis on life and death education as a cornerstone of holistic medical training, with the aim of helping students to cultivate a deep respect for life, gain insight into the natural progression of ageing, illness and mortality, and develop the psychological resilience and empathy essential to compassionate care. Through this, the faculty strives to prepare them not only as clinicians but also as companions to patients and their families in life\u2019s most vulnerable moments.<\/p>\r\n

Professor Chiu<\/strong> said: \u201cEmpathy begins with the ability to see through the eyes of our patients and their families. As physicians, we often approach care from a clinical lens, but that alone cannot fully capture the emotional landscape our patients navigate. This is why we created this seminar \u2013 to engage with voices from all walks of life and enrich our students\u2019 understanding of life and death through a multidimensional lens. Life and death are timeless subjects, and for healthcare professionals to support those facing mortality, they must first cultivate the capacity to feel, to listen and to understand.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Professor Mok<\/strong> noted that a doctor\u2019s personal experiences and example play a vital role in nurturing empathy among medical students. He said: \u201cWhen I was studying medicine, a senior doctor once told me: \u2018An unhappy doctor cannot make patients happy.\u2019 That simple truth has stayed with me for 40 years. Since then, I\u2019ve made a conscious effort to be a joyful person, believing that my own happiness can positively influence my patients. These are lessons that cannot be taught in a classroom. Sometimes, a single sentence or a passing thought can shape a doctor\u2019s entire approach to care. I hope every physician at CUHK will continue to inspire our students through their own lived experiences.\u201d<\/p>","show_as_achievement":false,"achievement_category":[],"show_as_clarification":false,"show_as_announcement":false,"photos":[{"photo":229567,"caption":"Dr Michael Hui Koon-man"},{"photo":229568,"caption":"CU Medicine hosted the seminar \u201cFrom heaven to hell: doctors and comedy legend talk life and death\u201d on 29 September 2025, featuring Dr Michael Hui Koon-man (middle), Hong Kong comedy legend, film director, screenwriter and actor; and Professor Philip Chiu Wai-yan (left), Dean of CU Medicine; moderated by Professor Tony Mok Shu-kam, Associate Dean (Translation and Entrepreneurship) and Chairman of the Department of Clinical Oncology at CU Medicine."},{"photo":229569,"caption":"Professor Philip Chiu Wai-yan"},{"photo":229570,"caption":"Professor Tony Mok Shu-kam"},{"photo":229571,"caption":"Professor Philip Chiu Wai-yan (left) and Professor Tony Mok Shu-kam (right) present souvenirs to Dr Michael Hui Koon-man, including a paper fan hand-painted by the Dean."},{"photo":229572,"caption":"Medical students of CU Medicine showing posters tailor-made for the seminar."}],"attachments":null,"video_source":"","video_file":"","add_play_button":false,"video_caption":"","show_migration":false,"original_id":0,"photos_original":null,"attachments_original":null},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press\/229573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press\/229573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":233473,"href":"https:\/\/www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press\/229573\/revisions\/233473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}