Department’s Academic Advisory Board Member, Professor Liandong Zhang, Dean of School of Accountancy, Lee Kong Chian Professor of Accounting, Singapore Management University, visited us from 23 – 27 January 2026.
During his visit, Professor Zhang participated in the School of Business’s flagship event, the China Business Forum, held on 24 – 25 January at the Hopewell Hotel in Wanchai. He engaged in insightful dialogues with distinguished scholars and business leaders on the evolving Chinese business landscape, including emerging opportunities and challenges, while identifying pathways for deeper collaboration between industry and academia. Additionally, he served as a panel member for the Young Scholars Roundtable on 25 January, providing valuable feedback on participants’ research projects.
On 27 January, Professor Zhang delivered a seminar titled “Power of the Crowd: Freedom of Speech and Government Stewardship.” His paper examined the influence of state-level free speech protections on government accountability, leveraging the staggered enactment of anti-strategic lawsuit against public participation (anti-SLAPP) laws as a natural experiment to assess the effects of stronger speech protections on governmental accountability. The findings presented were both illuminating and significant, emphasising the crucial role that free speech protections play in fostering an accountable and transparent government. The seminar highlighted how enhanced free speech protections encourage greater civic participation and ensuring good governance.
Professor Zhang successfully cultivated collaboration through lunch gatherings and individual consultations with faculty members, which facilitated the exchange of research ideas and reinforced academic ties. Overall, the visit enriched the Department’s academic atmosphere and strengthened the connections between faculty and the Advisory Board, supporting ongoing research and educational development at HSUHK, in line with its mission to advance accounting scholarship and foster global partnerships.
