Established in 2004, the centre promotes and facilitates research on the political, social, economic, intellectual and cultural aspects of early and late imperial China, and serves the local community by participating in matters relating to the education of Chinese history.

The centre was established in 2002. Drawing on the expertise and talents of members and colleagues through disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaborative projects, it engages in a wide range of research and educational public outreach services and programmes in the region.

The Centre attempts to develop a full-scale research hub of local history in Hong Kong.  It carries out in-depth research, focusing upon how cultural symbols and practices contribute to the formation and interpretation of Hong Kong history and other humanities issues in any of its forms,  as well as how the combination of explanations of the past and memories is manifested in literature and audio-visual form.