Dr. Arnold Lai obtained his BA (hon) in Chinese Literature from Chu Hai College of Higher Education (Hong Kong) and his MA in Chinese Literature from Fu-jen Catholic University (Taipei).  Majoring in Phonology, he was awarded the Distinguished Essay Award from the Association of Chinese Phonology, R.O.C., and was selected as an honorary member of the Phi-Tau-Phi Scholastic Honour Society.

After receiving his master’s degree in Taipei, Dr. Lai continued his studies in Shanghai and received his PhD in Chinese classical bibliography from Fudan University (Shanghai).  During his stay in Shanghai, he participated in the research project “The History of Woodblock Printing of Soochow” (ISBN 978-7-5506-3963-8) and “The Illustrated Catalogue of a Selection of Rare Books Written in Chinese Stored in the East Asian History of Science Library, Needham Research Institute, Cambridge, UK” (ISBN 978-7-5475-1161-4/Z.011).  

Returning to Hong Kong, Dr. Lai has taught at Lingnan Institute of Further Education and the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong.   He joined the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 2024.