What do six decades mean for Chung Chi College (CC)?


Six decades are defined as a Jiazi in Chinese culture, which means moving in endless cycles, going round and beginning again. In the year of our 60th anniversary, it’s time for us to review the past and advance afresh from the starting point.


From student, to teacher to College Head, you have witnessed the development of CC. Could you give a brief account of the changes and the memorable moments?

CC founded its campus in Central before moving to the existing one. This equipped our students with an urban vision and rustic simplicity. Despite the remote location and inconvenience in transportation in those days, students were close to each other, which demonstrated a special feature of a small-sized liberal arts college. Life in the College remains very vivid to me even to this day. I thought many CC alumni who graduated in the 1960s share the same feeling. Upon receiving my PhD degree, I taught in Singapore and the US for almost 20 years. By the time I returned to CC, it has grown in size in terms of both teacher and student numbers. The excellent traditions of the College have been passed on from generation to generation. For example, while our hostels have the strictest regulations in the University, they are formulated by the College and students. CC students enjoy great autonomy and participating rights. 


Upon assuming duties as College Head, you refused to draw the development blueprint for CC as you felt it would discourage innovative ideas from being proposed. Can you talk a little about your beliefs? 


I am by religion a Christian. When it comes to ethics, 
I am a Confucian. In administration, I stick to Daoism, that is, acting naturally. I appreciate it when staff and students contribute their opinion for the progress of CC. To support and realize the creative ideas of students, the S.H. Sung Creativity Award and Dreaming Through Chung Chi have been established. Yet we have not found very creative and fascinate proposals so far. So let’s keep looking.


What are your aspirations for the College’s development?


In celebration of the 60th anniversary, we intend to further unite teachers, students, alumni, and staff to create more synergy for our development. CC was founded to tie in with the changing social environment. This spirit continues as various new programmes have been launched to keep up with rapid development over the years. When China opened its door in the 1970s, CC was one of the first colleges in Hong Kong to have established academic exchange progammes with institutions on the mainland. After China resumed sovereignty over the territory, CC drew up plans to launch studies in diplomacy and national defence, which were beyond the areas of studies for students in the past. We are glad to sign the exchange agreement with the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing, where our students go on exchange to learn about foreign policy, relations and protocol, and to have a chance to host diplomatic corps, if possible.


With the addition of five new Colleges, how do you view the development of CUHK’s collegiate system? 


It is a pleasant surprise to see the collegiate system developing with such diversity and enjoying wide recognition. As we will have two batches of freshmen coming in, establishing new colleges is a way to accommodate the increased undergraduate enrolment. With new Colleges in various sizes and having different visions, students have more choices. For the four original Colleges, such development is a challenge and also an opportunity. We should reflect and review in order to perfect ourselves.