Hong Kong is part of China, but is it like China? Overseas employers and students might say yes, after all, more than 16 years have passed since the former British colony’s return to the mainland. But business schools in Hong Kong insist that an education in the special administrative region is so different that students should place it in a different category.
香港是中国的一部分，但它与中国一样吗？海外雇主和学生或许会说“是”，毕竟这块英国前殖民地回归中国已超过16年了。但香港的商学院坚持认为，这块特别行政区的教育与内地截然不同，因此学生应将其划入不同类别。
The students
学生
There are distinct differences between Hong Kong Chinese students and their mainland counterparts, TJ Wong, dean of CUHK Business School at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He says his school attracts the cream of the crop from China who have very strong fundamental skills in English, Chinese and mathematics. Hong Kong Chinese students, adds Prof Wong, tend to have a stronger global view and are more willing to speak out in class.
香港中文大学商学院(CUHK Business School)院长黄德尊(TJ Wong)表示，在香港就读的中国学生和内地学生差异显著。他说，他的学院吸引了中国的顶尖学生，这些学生英文、中文、数学基本功俱佳。黄德尊教授称，在香港就读的中国学生拥有更强的全球视野，更愿意在课堂上发言。
Mainland students tend to value listening to their superiors more, he says.
他表示，内地学生往往更重视聆听师长的教诲。
Sachin Tipnis, executive director of MBA programmes at the University of Hong Kong, notes that mainland and Hong Kong Chinese students bring vastly different backgrounds to the classroom. Many Hong Kong students work in the financial services industry, he says, and they also have more exposure to the whole region. Mainland Chinese students are not only more country specific, he says, they also have different corporate backgrounds. “In Hong Kong, not many people are connected to manufacturing,” he points out.
香港大学(University of Hong Kong) MBA课程行政主管萨钦•蒂普尼斯(Sachin Tipnis)提到，内地和香港的中国学生为课堂带来截然不同的背景。他表示，很多香港学生就职于金融服务业，并且更了解整个地区。内地中国学生的经验更局限于本国，企业背景也有所不同。他指出，“在香港，有制造业背景的人不多。”
Sean Ferguson, associate dean of masters programmes at HKUST Business School, also thinks Hong Kong students have a broader view, but says HKUST has made efforts to recruit mainland Chinese students who will not be reticent about contributing. “Five to 10 years ago that was definitely the stereotype, so we changed what we’re looking for.”
香港科技大学商学院(HKUST Business School)分管硕士课程的副院长肖恩•弗格森(Sean Ferguson)同样认为香港学生视野更开阔，但他表示香港科大也在采取行动，招收那些愿意发言贡献观点的内地中国学生。“5到10年前，沉默少言绝对是内地学生的典型形象，因此我们努力寻找特点不同的学生。”
Networking
交际
Mainland Chinese students represent valuable future contacts for students hoping to do business in the greater China region. Clearly, a mainland Chinese school will offer most opportunities in this respect, but mainland students also make up between 10 per cent and 25 per cent of full-time MBA students at the three highest-ranking homegrown business schools HKU, CUHK and HKUST.
内地的中国学生能为希望在大中华地区经商的同学带来有价值的未来人脉。显然，中国内地学校在这方面能提供最多的机会，但在香港排名前三商学院——分别属于香港大学、香港中文大学和香港科技大学——的全日制MBA学生中，内地学生的比例也占到10%到25%不等。
Business links
商业联系
Hong Kong business schools concede that a school based in Shanghai or Beijing is currently a better place to learn about doing business in China.
香港商学院承认，位于上海或北京的学院更适合学习如何在中国经商。
“It’s a trade-off. Obviously you can learn more about being in China by being there.” says Kalok Chan, acting dean of HKUST.
香港科技大学商学院署理院长陈家乐(Kalok Chan)表示：“这是种取舍。很显然，身处中国更利于了解如何在中国经商。”
But Hong Kong schools also say that the territory is a good place to come to learn more about doing business with China. “We want students to remember that business is global,” says Mr Tipnis.
但香港的商学院还表示，香港也是深入学习如何跟中国做生意的好去处。蒂普尼斯表示：“我们希望学生记住，商业是全球性的。”
Southern China opportunities
中国南方的机遇
All three schools have their eyes on southern China and say students should expect growing expertise in those economically prosperous provinces closest to Hong Kong, but which currently have no good business schools.
这三家学校均着眼中国南方，称学生有望加深对香港附近经济繁荣省份的了解，而这些省份尚无优秀的商学院。
CUHK appears to be ahead of its peers in southern China. It is opening a campus in Shenzhen, north of the border with Hong Kong. The first intake of undergraduate business students will be in September.
在开拓中国南方方面，香港中文大学似乎走在了同行的前面。它将在香港与内地边界以北的深圳开设新校区，今年9月份将迎来首批商学院本科生。
Job prospects
就业前景
A significant differentiating factor is also Hong Kong’s preferential visa environment and the widespread use of English. Mr Tipnis says every graduate student is entitled to apply for a Hong Kong work visa. He says that 60 per cent of graduates from HKU’s business school remain and work in the region. In addition, English is widely spoken in Hong Kong and so language is not the barrier it can be for many students studying in China.
香港还有一点与众不同：有利的签证制度和英文的广泛使用。蒂普尼斯称，每个香港学校的毕业生都有权申请香港工作签证。他表示，香港大学商学院60%的学生毕业后留港工作。此外，香港普遍说英文，因此与在中国不同，语言在香港不会成为障碍。