The Chartered Institute of Housing Asian Pacific Branch (CIHAPB) during the Qingming Festival, organized a study tour of 15 members. The delegation departed on 3 April 2024, for Shanghai and Hangzhou, returning satisfactorily on 7 April 2024.

The delegation, led by Vice Chairman Wu Yicheng, immediate past Chairman Matthew Ng, past Chairman Paul Ng, and Activity Committee Chair Sidney So, first visited various property management companies and real estate developer in Shanghai. They toured four iconic landmark developments, including the China Shanghai Tower, Shanghai Infinitus Tower, Shanghai iAPM, Shanghai International Trade City, and Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, providing valuable insights for the delegation on Shanghai's real estate development and unique property management models.

In Hangzhou, the delegation attended an academic event organized by Zhejiang Shuren College to celebrate its 40th anniversary: a seminar on the international curriculum of property management. Matthew Ng, Paul Ng and professors from Shuren College delivered speeches at the event, sharing profound insights on property management with the attendees, including 130 undergraduates.

Zhejiang Shuren College's management course received certification from the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) in the UK at the end of March this year, teachers and graduates of the department can apply to become international members of CIH. The College encouraged students to have a better understanding of international property management and highly valued the visit of Hong Kong property management professionals for the seminar, and published the event details on the following local social media platforms:

人民教育網 https://www.hljnewsw.cn/jynews/2923173.html
中國教育網 http://www.cnedunews.com/edu/jyxw/16647.html
浙江新聞在綫 http://www.zjolnews.cn/eui/202404/091518383.html

A Member of the Delegation Shares her Experiences

CIHAPB has invited one of the delegation members, Ms. Kwong Wai Po, to write about her feelings about the tour for everyone's sharing:

I joined the "Five-day Study Tour to Shanghai and Hangzhou" out of curiosity and a learning mindset, I signed up with a fellow member.

This tour was indeed unique. Besides getting the chance to visit mainland properties and exchange insights with local property management professionals, we also had the opportunity to tour major tourist attractions in Shanghai, which was very enriching. For example, the " China Shanghai Tower " boasting the fastest and most stable elevators in China, showcasing advanced technology. Visiting the " Shanghai Infinitus Tower " and seeing its air conditioning system facilities firsthand made me truly appreciate the advantages of employing the Six-Practice Management Model in property operations. The " Shanghai iAPM," a stylish mall, was another highlight where we learned about the developer's positioning strategy for each of its malls, emphasizing mutual benefit and avoiding unhealthy competition—a key element in mall planning. The " Shanghai International Trade City " consisting of two commercial complexes within a large mixed-use community, targeting global brand tenants, left a lasting impression on me with its thoughtful amenities such as the "Mother's Room" designed for new mothers returning to work, equipped with private room, lockable refrigerator, and sterilization facilities for new mother to express milk for her baby—a standout feature attracting modern businesswomen. Additionally, the commercial complexes offer intelligent cabinets for pick-up to facilitate 24-hour access to purchased food or items, reducing identity verification procedures and waiting time. We also attended the " Property Management International Course Teaching Seminar" hosted by the Zhejiang Shuren College where we exchanged industry concepts and knowledge between mainland China and Hong Kong with professors and undergraduate students, highlighting the mainland scholars' serious pursuit of international knowledge.

During my free time in the evening, I explored the "XinTianDi Shanghai" with a few group members, experiencing the blend of ancient architecture with modern open-air restaurants and shops, truly fulfilling the mission of revitalizing and extending the life of the buildings.

After visiting the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, I realized the profound impact of city planning on urban development. In just five days, we could fully experience the effectiveness of city planning in terms of population distribution, transportation, roads, building quantities, building heights, usage ratios, distribution, and facilities. The well-organized planning at Zhejiang Shuren College was a clear example of "later development, more advanced."

In conclusion, this journey can be described by the phrase "Traveling ten thousand miles is better than reading ten thousand books," and I truly gained a lot from this trip. I hope that in the near future, similar exchange activities can be organized again to provide more learning opportunities for practitioners in Hong Kong. Furthermore, arranging visits to other major cities and hotel in Asia or mainland China for exchanges and learning about how modern facilities integrate into or change life, ESG, and green environmental protection initiatives would be highly beneficial.