An international academic journal is reviewing concerns regarding a map featured in a research paper authored by an associate professor at the Education University of Hong Kong (EdU) that omitted Victoria Harbour and merged the Kowloon Peninsula with Hong Kong Island. The paper, which was published in July 2025 in the journal Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, drew criticism for the map’s portrayal of Hong Kong’s geography.
A spokesperson for the journal said last week that an assessment of the issue is ongoing, emphasizing that no conclusions would be drawn until the review is complete. “Concerns have been raised with us regarding this article and are currently being considered by the journal in line with our established editorial processes,” the spokesman said. He added that if the investigation finds any need for correction or update to the scholarly record, appropriate action will be taken.
The contested study was written by Wang Cong, an associate professor in EdU’s Chinese language studies department. It examined the endangered Tanka language, traditionally spoken by Hong Kong’s boat people, focusing on its distinct sound patterns and the influence of Cantonese on younger generations, which poses a risk to its survival. The paper received funding from the Research Grants Council, a non-statutory advisory body under the University Grants Committee.
An academic, who requested anonymity, filed a formal complaint about the map to the journal, describing it as a “highly absurd and severely flawed map of Hong Kong.” The complainant argued that the omission of Victoria Harbour and the way Kowloon and Hong Kong Island were depicted were clear distortions unrepresentative of Hong Kong’s true geography. They said the issue was first brought to the journal’s editorial board and to the research integrity group of Springer Nature, the journal’s publisher. However, both entities previously concluded there were insufficient grounds to take editorial action and closed the case without requesting corrections.
EdU has defended the map, explaining that it was created manually using ArcGIS Pro 3.0 software and is based on administrative boundary data rather than geographical land outlines or coastlines. An EdU spokeswoman stated that a similar map is publicly accessible on Hong Kong’s official government spatial data portal and likewise does not show Victoria Harbour. Because the district areas are filled in with solid colors, these cover the water surface, which visually gives the impression that the harbour is absent.
The spokeswoman asserted that this presentation reflects a cartographic characteristic rather than an error or intentional distortion. The university and the journal continue to stand by their respective positions while the investigation proceeds.