[11] Under George White, the then principal, it ran classes in marine wireless operating, mechanical engineering and building construction.

[12] The campus was a three-storey high Victorian architecture, and commonly referred to the "Red Brick House" by the locals.

[13] After World War II, the Government Trade School became the Hong Kong Technical College in 1947, offering both full-time and part-time courses.

[12] PolyU's main campus, in Hung Hom, Kowloon,[16] was designed by a team led by James Kinoshita from P&T Group in 1972.

[17] It has over 20 buildings with red-brick walls, many of which are inter-connected and raised one floor above the podium, creating sheltered open-air spaces for multi-purposes such as logistics and parking.

The Jockey Club Auditorium began operation in 2000, its balcony and main floor seating accommodate up to 1,084 persons.

It is specially designed as a multi-purpose venue for the hosting of conferences, seminars, ceremonies, corporate meetings, as well as the increasing number of cultural activities and performances, operas, chamber music, dramas, dances, film shows, variety shows, mini concerts etc.

Established in 2001 under the auspices of PolyU, HKCC is a self-financed post-secondary institution which offers associate degree and higher diploma programmes spanning the domains of arts, science, social sciences, business, health care and design for senior secondary school leavers.

Some politicians in Hong Kong serve as faculty in PolyU, including current or former member of the Legislative Council Fernando Cheung, Lau Siu-lai, Helena Wong and Cheng Chung-tai.

PolyU's research focus areas include: aerospace, aviation, big data and AI, food safety, health science, infrastructure monitoring, intelligent construction, sustainability and smart city.

[28][29] The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel established by PolyU in 2006 acts as a focal point to enhance technological innovation in textiles and apparel industry for the development of highly competitive industrial clusters in Hong Kong.

[53] List of presidents of PolyU and their predecessors (known as the director of the Hong Kong Polytechnic before 1994): PolyU has established cooperative relations with more than 280 universities or institutions in 39 countries and regions around the world, and signed about 445 agreements in the areas of student exchange arrangements to joint research cooperation.

There are two student halls of residence buildings provided by the university, in Hung Hom Bay and Ho Man Tin.

The university also provides three off-campus housing sites, located in Sham Shui Po, Mong Kok, and Tsim Sha Tsui.

The students had posted messages in commemoration of the fourth anniversary of the "Umbrella Movement" democracy occupation protests of 2014 and calling for Hong Kong independence from the CCP-ruled People's Republic of China.

It was alleged that they had made defamatory comments, assaulted a staff member and damaged property, all of which accusations were denied by the students.

[57] Numerous pro-democracy groups, including more than a dozen legislators and 19 student organisations, protested the decision of the committee.

On 16 November, police attempted to enter the campus, but failed as protestors barricaded the entrance and used petrol bombs to attack them.

On 18 November, the police attempted to enter the campus again using tear gas, rubber bullets, bean bags, and sponge grenades.

Notable alumni of PolyU include Chinese Premier Li Qiang, former Chief Executive of Hong Kong Leung Chun-ying, former Hong Kong Legislator Lam Tai-fai and Chan Kam-lam, explorer Rebecca Lee, film director Wong Kar-wai and Raman Hui, musician Paul Wong, singer Gigi Leung, fashion designer Vivienne Tam and software engineer Lui Kim-man.