COVID-19 has spread all over the world in 2020 and brought great change to our lives. Facing the new normal of working from home, studying online, and travelling locally, how can we break with the past and establish a new normal to keep up with the changing times? The three talks of the Alumni Week in November, themed “The New Normal”, showcased a number of health-related “new normal”, as well as taking a look at the future prospects of the real estate market with alumni and the public.

During this period, facemasks and hand sanitiser have become necessities for all in fighting the epidemic. We also now spend more time cooped up at home both working and learning, and this can lead to incorrect sitting postures and spinal problems. Therefore, Dr Ko Wing-man, a former Secretary for Food and Health, gave a talk on “Health Under the New Normal” to share techniques on how to fight against the virus from the perspective of both Chinese and Western medicine, and how to accept the “new normal” of co-existing with it.

COVID-19 has created huge challenges for the global economy, and as an important sector of Hong Kong's economy, the real estate market is also unavoidable. Mr Anthony Kwok, Director (Professional Development) of the Centaline Group, gave a talk on the “Property Market Under the New Normal” to explain how the epidemic has affected the Hong Kong market with market trend analyses, so that you can be better-informed to purchase or invest in property.

After a year of struggling to adapt, how will our lives change? Mr Shum Yat-fei, a senior current affairs commentator, gave his predictions and analysed the year 2021 for important events from a classic Chinese Yi Jing (I Ching) perspective, together with Indian, Western and alien viewpoints, helping us welcome the upcoming new normal with a positive spirit.

The talks were broadcast live online and the alumni responded positively with enthusiastic enrolments. The talks had a total of nearly 1,000 views.