Read More
Terence Chong Tai-leung, an associate professor in the Department of Economics at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and Associate Head of New Asia College, has come under fire after allegedly making remarks about women and marriage during a college talk.
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
Chong was speaking at a New Asia College biweekly assembly on Tuesday evening (Sep 22), where the theme was “How to Invest in Life.” More than 1,000 students had registered for the event.
According to students who attended, Chong allegedly said women’s high GPAs were of little use because they would ultimately need to “marry rich.”
A presentation slide shown during the talk also included the phrase “the cost-effectiveness of girls fishing for golden turtles” while Chong was discussing the concept of “partner economics.”
The Cantonese expression “fishing for a golden turtle” refers to seeking a wealthy partner.
Students later shared photos and videos from the event on social media, with some criticizing the remarks as sexist and objectifying toward women.
Other remarks attributed to Chong included advising women not to pursue PhDs because their youth was valuable, and saying women should invest in their appearance while men only needed to find an attractive partner.
The talk was reportedly based on one of Chong’s books.
The remarks have since sparked criticism online, with some students describing the views as outdated and calling for the university to investigate.
A “one person, one letter” campaign was also launched, urging students to submit individual complaints to CUHK, New Asia College and the university’s relevant discrimination and sexual harassment committee.
A complaint letter reportedly called for Chong to publicly apologize and for the university to consider removing him from his position as associate dean.
Chong denied allegations of gender discrimination when responding to media inquiries.
He said he had “always advocated gender equality” and that the talk was intended to explain economic concepts rather than stereotype women.
He also said the term “fishing for a golden turtle” was a common Cantonese expression and could apply to both men and women.
“I have always advocated gender equality,” he said, adding that “men can also fish for a female golden turtle, and women can fish for a male golden turtle.”
Chong said he had no intention of offending or targeting women. However, he said he was willing to apologize and revise the presentation if the wording had made students or others feel uncomfortable.
In response to media inquiries, CUHK said the college had spoken to the speaker about the remarks and reminded him to be mindful of his language and to take into account the feelings of different stakeholders at the university and in society.
The college said it would continue to strive to maintain a campus environment based on mutual respect, diversity and inclusion.
