Venturing into Shenzhen Meisha: Co-creating Low-carbon Communities

Date: March 30, 2025 (Sunday)

Location: Meisha, Shenzhen

The Department of Geography and the Asian Energy Studies Centre (AESC) at Hong Kong Baptist University are committed to promoting sustainable energy transitions across Asia. We actively collaborate with communities to explore pathways toward low-carbon living. Recently, AESC made its first initiative into a mainland Chinese community, partnering with the Vanke Foundation to co-host a Low-carbon Community Co-creation Workshop in Shenzhen Meisha, and together established the BU SEE × Biosphere 3 Meisha Low-carbon Energy Hub.

From Research to Practice: A Regional Link in Action

This collaboration was founded on a shared vision for low-carbon lifestyles, community mobilisation, and knowledge exchange. The Vanke Foundation has been implementing various carbon neutrality initiatives in the Meisha community for years—including low-carbon campuses, community gardens, and nature-based education programmes. Meanwhile, AESC focuses on policy research, energy behaviour change, and stakeholder engagement.

By connecting policy ideas with practical community-based cases, this partnership aims to enhance the applicability of low-carbon policy recommendations.

Interactive Learning: Our First Workshop in Mainland China

On 30 March 2025, AESC and the Vanke Foundation co-hosted a Low-carbon Community Co-creation Workshop in Meisha, bringing together residents for an afternoon of hands-on, imaginative learning. The workshop featured:

• VR Immersive Experience: Participants explored future energy scenarios through virtual reality.

• Envisioning Card Game: A decision-making simulation that sparked group discussions on energy choices.

• DIY Solar Car Activity: A fun, educational way to engage families with renewable energy technologies.

The participants were 16 households from the Meisha community, including parents and children. The energy and enthusiasm on the day were remarkable, especially during the card game discussions, where parents shared their ideas on future electricity use and how residents could participate in the energy market. Some even suggested expanding to wind, hydro, and integrated energy management systems.

From Participation to Inspiration

We gathered post-event feedback from participating families, and were delighted by their insights:

"The event helped my child understand the value of saving electricity."

"The card game was really fun—we had such a great time discussing together!"

"Could kids contribute even more? I work in educational innovation, and I see great potential in your programme!"

These responses reflect a strong community interest in energy issues, and reinforce the value of intergenerational learning and game-based engagement in energy education.

Looking Ahead: Building a Low-carbon Network Across Regions

AESC and the Vanke Foundation plan to host more workshops in Meisha in the coming months. These will include envisioning workshops, low-carbon cooking and carbon coin sessions, and community energy action planning workshops.

As AESC’s first step into low-carbon community work in mainland China, Meisha is more than just a pilot—it is a starting point. We hope to continue strengthening cross-border collaboration between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, and co-create a regional low-carbon community network through long-term partnerships and shared knowledge.