Bulletin Vol. 4 No. 4 Jan 1968

E N G L IS H V E R S IO N O F T H E V IC E -C H A N C E L L O R 'S SPEECH A New Beginning that is making Hi stor y Y o u r Excellency、 honoured guests, ladies and gentle men: T o d a y we see a new be g inn ing : one b u ilt upon the fou nda tion o f many generations. T h e Chinese U n iv e r s ity o f H o ng K o n g has deep roots. T h is new be ginning is possible firs t o f all because education in Chinese c u ltu re has a h is to ry on its own soil o f tw o thousand five hundred years. A n y be ginning in Chinese higher education today is therefore not the beginning b u t a new beginning. I want to emphasize tha t th is new beginning is im po rta n t. W hat you have seen and heard here today is no t o n ly a w itness to the past ； it is a glim pse o f the fu tu re . U n iv e rs ity education in the tw e n tie th cen tu ry is here and everywhere a global venture. T h e re is no nation on th is globe th a t has no t c o n tribu te d to T h e Chinese U n iv e rs ity o f H o ng K o n g th ro u g h its poets, its his torians, its scientists. T o the degree th a t any modern u n iv e rs ity is a good u n iv e rs ity th is is true o f u n iv e r sities th ro u g h o u t the w o rld . I th in k I can say th a t the g ro undbreaking o f T h e Chinese U n iv e rs ity o f H o ng K o n g is a new be ginning tha t is m aking histo ry. I t is Chinese. Here we shall rem em ber the long h is to ry o f Chinese h igher education and pledge o u r allegiance to its great tra d itio n s : the Chinese language and its lite ra tu re . I do n o t need to rem ind you th a t Chinese cu ltu re has given its greatest a tten tion to h is to ry and to social in s titu tio n s . B u t we have come to appreciate the place o f science in ou r heritage and the c o n trib u tio n s o f Chinese technology to the rise o f the West. H o ng K o n g today stands at the crossroads no t on ly o f Asia b u t o f the whole w o rld . A n d T h e Chinese U n iv e rs ity o f H o ng K o n g aspires to c o n trib u te to the fo u n d a tio n o f generations not o n ly o f China b u t o f the whole new w o rld as well. T h is U n iv e rs ity was created by the G ove rnm en t and the people o f H o ng K on g . Its creation was possible because so many people had the w ill and the vision to w o rk together. I take th is o p p o rtu n ity to congratulate the G ove rnm en t o f H o ng K o n g on its foresigh t and fo r its generous suppo rt. T h e G overnm ent has undertaken to pro vid e the basic b u ild in g s on th is site fo r th is U n i versity. A lre ad y it provides the basic needs o f the U n iv e rs ity in in s tru c tio n and equipm ent. T h is is a costly venture. Few people in any society realize the cost o f u n iv e rs ity education today. T h e G overnm ent knows w hat the cost is. T h e G ove rnm en t accepts the cost because it counts on the 'app re cia tion ' o f its investm ent in term s o f value to the whole c om m u n ity. 1 use th is te rm 'app reciation ' as an econom ist. T h is U n iv e rs ity , Y o u r Excellency, w ill make its re tu rn to the people o f H o n g K on g . T h a t is what you ask o f it. T h a t is what I demand o f it. I t is fittin g th a t ou r firs t fou nda tion stone should be laid fo r the Benjam in F ra n k lin Centre. T h e people o f the U n ite d States o f Am erica, represented here by M r. E dw in M a rtin , have made th is p ro je ct possible. Ben jam in F ra n k lin held an honoured post unde r the govern m ent o f H is M ajesty, George the T h ird . He was the postmaster-general o f the B ritis h colonies in the New W o rld . H e was also the special ambassador representing the g row ing pains o f the Am erican colonies to H is M ajesty's C o u rt on several occasions. B u t I w ould like to rem ind ou r Am erican frien d s tha t he was the firs t citizen o f th e ir c o u n try to be honoured by the B ritis h Royal Society as a research scientist. F ra n k lin was a practical man as w e ll as a philosopher, scientist and statesman. He loved young people. O u r firs t b u ild in g is p rim a rily fo r o u r students — fo r th e ir c u ltu ra l, social and physical welfare. I t w ill be the centre o f student life o f th is U n iv e rs ity — I tru s t next to the lib ra ry and the laboratories. F ra n k lin had w isdom , learn ing and hum ou r, I hope there w ill always be good hum o u r here in the years to come — the good h um ou r o f students. Good hum ou r is som ething we all need and shall always need. A nd I hope F ra n k lin 's good hum ou r w ill reach ou t from th is Centre to enliven ou r days and enlighten ou r decisions. H um o u r means tha t we understand each o th e r and tha t we like and tru s t each other. N ow I want you to look around you. L o o k at this m agnificent view from w h ich students and teachers and even adm in istra tors w ill receive in sp ira tion as this U n iv e rs ity grows to serve H o ng K o n g and the w o rld . Few universities in the w o rld are fortunate enough to have such a view . I pledge to the people o f H o ng K o n g tha t we shall do all in ou r power to tu rn th is view o f sea and m ountain in to a vision — a vision o f greatness w o rth y o f all who have made th is day a day o f history. S ir D a v id , you have planted a tree. I t is the symbol o f life and o f g row th . L ife and g row th shall be the w a tchw o rd o f th is U n iv e rs ity . N ow let me quote a very old Chinese sage — olde r even than Confucius. Just a few lines from Chou K u ng. ‘‘b u t when a father, w is h in g to b u ild a house, had laid o u t the plans, if his son be u n w illin g to raise up the ha ll, how m uch less w ill he be w ill ing to complete the roof. I t is on th is account tha t I set m yself and you to th is u n d e rta k in g ." N ow I want to say to all o f you tha t much has been given to us by friends abroad. B u t I w ant you all to know also th a t local businessmen have helped us and have pledged generous c o n trib u tio n s to the b u ild in g programme. I want to thank all o f them most sincerely, 2