More than a decade ago, the HKU Rooftop Farm—initiated by the HKU General Education Unit atop the Runme Shaw Building—began as an exploration of urban farming and food security. Over time, it revealed something even more powerful: the profound impact that growing food and reconnecting with nature can have on social wellbeing.

This project has since inspired many, including two of its earliest core members, Celeste and Yuki. Their paths have taken them far—Celeste to Taiwan, where she is deepening her studies and practice in horticultural therapy, and Yuki to Devon, UK, where she is immersing herself in regenerative agriculture and has embraced life as an organic tea farmer.

In this session, Celeste and Yuki will share their personal journeys and reflect on how a rooftop farm at HKU became the seed for deeper connection—to nature, to land, and to a more grounded sense of wellbeing.

Speakers:
Ms. Celeste Shai (Horticultural Therapist Technician)
Ms. Yuki Chan (Organic Tea Farmer)

Date: 9/2/2026 (Mon)
Time: 18:00 - 20:00 19:30
Venue: GE Gatherland 240 (MB240, 2/F, Main Building, HKU)
Language: English
Registration: https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?ueid=104843 

Date	Time	Venue
09 Feb 2026	18:00 - 19:30	GE Gatherland 240 (MB240, 2/F, Main Building, HKU)

Bio of Instructor(s) 導師簡介:

Ms. Yuki Chan After graduating from HKU, Yuki worked at the university’s General Education Unit and Sustainability Office for nine years, where she became deeply involved in the rooftop farming project with Celeste and other colleagues. This experience led her to complete a permaculture design course at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden in 2018, a transformative experience that inspired her to deepen her relationship with nature through growing food. In 2022, she left Hong Kong to pursue further study in food systems change, completing an MSc in Regenerative Food and Farming at Schumacher College, a radical, ecological centre for transformative education in Devon, UK. She then undertook a year-long hands-on traineeship at a regenerative biodynamic farm. Yuki now works as a grower at a pioneering organic tea farm in Devon, continuing to work on the land with head, heart, and hands, while inspiring others to shift from extractive, consumeristic ways of living toward deeper, reciprocal relationships with nature, the land, and one another.

Ms. Celeste Shai Celeste graduated from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and from The University of Hong Kong (HKU) with an MPhil in Psychology. From 2008 to 2023, Celeste worked as a Programme Officer in the General Education Unit/Team at HKU, curating and implementing non-credit bearing programmes for students. Throughout her 15 years in this role, Celeste nurtured her curiosity about a wide range of topics to design diverse and engaging programmes. One of her key projects was focused on sustainable urban farming, which grew into a personal passion. In 2018, she earned a Permaculture Design Certificate from the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden in Hong Kong. Since 2020, Celeste and her colleagues have expanded the urban farming programme to include a focus on wellbeing, supported by additional university funding. The programme was further extended to the local community, benefiting senior citizens and underprivileged families. Currently, Celeste is pursuing studies in Horticultural Therapy in Taiwan.