HONG KONG — For most, the image of Hong Kong is one of verticality: a forest of glass and steel hemmed in by Victoria Peak. However, a new generation of journalists at the University of Hong Kong is looking toward the horizon to find a different story. At the School of Future Media, a class titled “Outdoor Adventure Journalism” has set an unprecedented goal: to visit and document all 263 islands that comprise the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
This mission is more than a logistical feat; it is a fundamental attempt to understand the entire city. By venturing to the furthest reaches of the territory, the class is challenging the “urban-centric” bias that often dominates local and international media coverage. The project posits that to truly report on Hong Kong, one must account for the 263 distinct landmasses that define its maritime borders and historical identity.
A New Era for Media Education
The initiative comes at a pivotal moment for the university. In October 2025, HKU officially transitioned its Journalism and Media Studies Centre into the School of Future Media. This restructuring was designed to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving media landscape, integrating traditional reporting with emerging technologies and immersive field experiences. The “Outdoor Adventure Journalism” course stands as a flagship elective of this new era, emphasizing that the “future” of media often requires returning to the most basic form of reporting: being there.
The curriculum is built on the “Core Focused Curriculum” (CFC), which prioritizes hands-on experience. In this context, the 263-island project serves as a living laboratory. Students are tasked with navigating the complexities of island logistics—coordinating with local ferry operators, chartering private sampans, and trekking through rugged terrain—all while maintaining the high standards of professional journalism.
The Historical and Geographical Challenge
Hong Kong’s 263 islands offer a staggering variety of narratives. The historical record of these islands is a microcosm of the region’s evolution. Some, like Lantau and Lamma, are well-known hubs of culture and tourism. Others, such as the Soko Islands or the remote outcroppings in Mirs Bay, carry the silent history of former refugee camps, ancient pirate haunts, and abandoned salt pans.
| Island Category | Examples | Significance |
| Major Inhabited | Lantau, Cheung Chau, Lamma | Cultural heritage, local economies, and tourism hubs. |
| Historical/Industrial | Ma Wan, Ap Lei Chau | Sites of traditional fishing villages and modern industrial shifts. |
| Remote/Uninhabited | Ninepin Group, Waglan Island | Geological wonders (UNESCO Global Geopark) and maritime navigation. |
| Conservation Zones | Tung Ping Chau, Sha Chau | Critical habitats for marine life and ecological research. |
By visiting each site, the class is piecing together a comprehensive map of the city’s identity. They are documenting how climate change affects low-lying coastal communities and how the “Northern Metropolis” development plan might alter the character of islands in the New Territories. The goal is to ensure that no part of the city remains a “blind spot” in the public consciousness.
Understanding the City as an Ecosystem
The driving force behind the project is the belief that a journalist’s perspective is limited by their geography. By sticking to the goal of understanding the entire city, the class is forced to confront the contradictions of Hong Kong. They see the juxtaposition of high-tech shipping terminals against the backdrop of traditional shrimp-paste drying racks. They witness the silence of the uninhabited “desert islands” just miles away from the world’s busiest maritime channels.
This immersive approach is designed to produce journalists who are as comfortable in a kayak as they are in a newsroom. The “Outdoor Adventure Journalism” elective teaches students to manage equipment in humid, salty environments, to conduct interviews in remote dialects, and to visualize data that spans hundreds of square kilometers of water.
The Legacy of Exploration
As the class continues its multi-semester journey through the 263 islands, the impact is already being felt within the academic community. The project has sparked a renewed interest in “slow journalism”—the practice of taking the time to deeply inhabit a space before reporting on it.
In a media world often obsessed with the “next big thing” in the urban center, these students are finding that the most compelling stories are often found where the ferry lines end. By the time the class completes its mission, they will have created a digital archive of the city that is unprecedented in its scope. They will have proven that to understand the future of Hong Kong, one must first understand the full extent of its present—from the highest penthouse to the smallest, unnamed rock in the South China Sea.