Queen's College

History

The history of the college can be traced back to the Chinese village schools that were believed to have existed prior to the founding of British Hong Kong as a colony in 1842.

In August 1847, the British colonial government decreed that grants would be given to existing Chinese village schools in Hong Kong. It appointed an Education Committee in November of that year to examine the state of Chinese schools in Victoria, Stanley and Aberdeen, the aim being to bring the schools under closer government supervision. Following its examinations, the Committee reported that 3 Chinese village schools, namely Taipingshan School (28 pupils), Chungwan School (18 pupils) and Sheungwan School (21 pupils) were operating actively within Victoria City under Chinese masters Mr. Chuy Shing-cheung, Mr. Leung Sing-Than and Mr. Mak Mai-chun, respectively. The books used in these schools included the Three Character Classic, and the Four Books and Five Classics. This marked the beginning of the establishment of public education in Hong Kong. Subsequently, government intervention in the provision of education in Hong Kong increased, and in 1857, it established new schools, including West Point School, to meet the ever-increasing demand for education in the burgeoning entrepôt.

In 1860, the British sinologist Rev. Dr. James Legge proposed that the Board of Education establish a Central School that would amalgamate the 3 existing government sponsored and monitored Chinese schools (Taipingshan, Chungwan and Sheungwan) in Victoria City. Two years later, a Government Central School on Gough Street, Central, opened its doors to the public in 1862. Its first headmaster was Dr. Frederick Stewart, who was also appointed Inspector of Schools in the Colony. As Headmaster, he was responsible for the supervision of all schools in Hong Kong until March 1879, when the Government established a separate office for the Inspector; this later became the precursor to the Department of Education, which was then incorporated into the Education Bureau.

In its first five years, the school admitted only Chinese students as a matter of policy. In 1867, it began admitting students of other nationalities, such as British, Indian, Parsee, Japanese and Thai. While Chinese students had to enroll in English classes, students from other nationalities were not expected to study the Chinese classics.

Secular schooling sparked a great deal of controversy with the Hong Kong Governor and religious leaders. On many occasions, the Governor personally scrutinized and intervened in the operations of these schools. Later, the Government established a grant program that enabled religious schools to compete on par with the Central School for funding.

School Logo

At Queen's College, school logos were only officially adopted after the Second World War. Prior to the War, the school, like other government departments, used the Royal Emblem as its logo. However, Queen's College's first school logo was designed as early as 1923 by Mr Ng Ping-un, Chief Chinese draftsman of the Architectural Office. The post-war school logo changed numerous times, all of them based on Ng's 1923 design. The school's current logo was adopted in 1997 after the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong.

List of Top Scorers in Public Examinations

As of 2010, Queen's College has produced the highest number of perfect achievers in the history of Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) and Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE), with 57 perfect scorers "10As" in HKCEE and 14 "Top Scorers" and "Super Top Scorers" in HKDSE. 7 x 5** "Top Scorers" are candidates who obtained perfect scores of 5** in each of the four core subjects and three electives. 8 x 5** "Super Top Scorers" are candidates who obtained seven Level 5** in four core subjects and three electives, and an additional Level 5** in the Mathematics Extended (M1/M2) module.

Activities and achievements

There are 49 clubs grouped under Sports, Recreational, Religious, Social Services, and Academic (Science & Arts) areas. Most clubs hold events and functions for the participation of all students and many of them organize joint events with sister schools throughout every academic year. They also actively participate in annual school Open Days.

Hong Kong Outstanding Students Awards

Queen's College students have won 21 of the past Hong Kong Outstanding Students Awards, placing the school in 2nd place among all secondary schools in Hong Kong. Of the 45 winners and finalists, 21 have served on the executive committee of the Hong Kong Outstanding Students' Association (HKOSA)

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Outstanding Students Awards

Queen's College counts a total of seven winners and finalists of the Hong Kong Outstanding Students Awards from 2002 to 2017.

Publications

First published in June 1899, the Queen's College school magazine, The Yellow Dragon (黃龍報), is the world's oldest existing Anglo-Chinese school magazine. A priceless historical resource, it provides a window into the evolution of education in Hong Kong and on societal evolution in the Asia Pacific region. In 2005, the magazine published its 100th volume. The Chinese section of the edition featured a brief summary of the magazine's past 100 volumes (百期回望專輯), written by seven students to commemorate the special occasion.

Another regular publication is the school newspaper, The Courier (文苑), which has been published since 1968. Currently, 3 issues are produced each year, covering the school's major functions and featuring student contributions.

In commemoration of the school's 125th anniversary, the Queen's College Old Boys' Association published a limited-edition history of the school entitled Queen's College: Its History 1862-1987 in 1987. Its author, Gwenneth Stokes, whose husband John was the Principal of Queen's College from 1965 to 1970, spent 2 years researching the 494-page book in local archives and in the UK.

Scandals

In 2006, it was reported that two Queen's College students robbed a Chinese Medicine Practitioner in his clinic in Shanghai Street, Jordan with cutters and towels soaked with chloroform.

Mr. Chiu Sin Hang, an assistant principal on probation, was involved in several scandals:

Pressing students to support the police in school magazine: The Queen's College Political Reform Concern Group revealed that Assistant Principal Chiu Sin Hang requested a change in topic to "police force" in the latest The Yellow Dragon at that time, in the hopes of supporting the local police force which has suffered a negative image in the Umbrella Movement. The Yellow Dragon later released a statement confirming the request from Chiu and stated that principal Ms. Li Sui-wah rejected said request. This event caused outrage not just between students and alumni as it inflected students' freedom in expression and created unnecessary burden on the students in charge.

Failure to declare interests attained in beer-drinking contest: Assistant Principal Chiu Sin Hang attended a dinner event held by the Queen's College Old Boys' Association in which he participated in a beer-drinking contest and prevailed. He won a travel coupon to Macau of around $5000 in value. It was alleged that Chiu did not declare the said prize to his senior or the Education Bureau, breaching the Civil Service Code and the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance, albeit the School Principal was attending the same event and noticing his winning the contest and the travel coupon.

List of Alumni

Politicians, judges, diplomats, and military staff

Sun Yat-sen, the chief leader of the 1911 Xinhai Revolution, the founding Provisional President of the Republic of China. He has been recognized as the "Father of the Nation" by the Chinese in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and overseas; while being called the "Forerunner of the Revolution" by the People's Republic of China Government.

Liao Zhongkai, major Chinese revolutionary leader, the executive member of the Kuomintang Central Committee, foreign minister, military minister, financial minister, and labour minister of the Republic of China. He was assassinated by the rightists in Guangzhou, 20 August 1925.

Tang Shaoyi, diplomat, politician. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of China, the first president of Shandong University, and an early overseas student who studied at Columbia University in New York. He was assassinated by Kuomintang in 1938.

Wang Ch'ung-hui, Judge of Permanent Court of International Justice, the League of Nations; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Justice, First Cabinet of the Republic of China, 1912.

Chan Kam-tao (陳錦濤), Minister of Finance, First Cabinet of the Republic of China, of Dr. Sun's Southern Government in Guangzhou during the 1920s.

Wen Tsung-yao, administrative director, Dr. Sun's Southern Government in Guangzhou during the 1920s.

Luk King-fo (陸敬科), Head of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Sun's Southern Government in Guangzhou during the 1920s.

Leung Lan-fan, China's first Consul General to Australia during the 1900s, and Superintendent of Customs in Guangzhou during the 1920s.

Robbie Ho Sai-lai (何世禮), General of the Republic of China Army; Chief Representative of China to the United Nations Security Council. He studied at British and French artillery schools.

Medical doctors

Man-Kai Wan (尹文階, 1869-1927), one of the first Chinese doctors of Western Medicine in Hong Kong, the inaugural Chairman of the Hong Kong Chinese Medical Association (1920-1922, forerunner of Hong Kong Medical Association) and one of the founders of Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital He practiced Western Medicine with Sun Yat-sen in a joint clinic and sheltered Sun Yat-sen during the 1911 Revolution. His niece is Lee Sun Chau, one of the first female doctors of Western Medicine in China.

Ko Wing-man, former Secretary for Food and Health of the HKSAR Government (2012–20)

Businessmen

Ho Fook, businessman and philanthropist

Ho Kai, founder, Hong Kong College of Medicine, predecessor of the University of Hong Kong

Robert Ho Tung, businessman and philanthropist

Stanley Ho, former chairman, Shun Tak Holdings Limited

Kan Tung-po (簡東浦), co-founder, Bank of East Asia

Lau Chu-pak, founder, Chinese General Chamber of Commerce

Lee Hysan, founder, Hysan Development Company Limited, transformed Jardine's Hill into Lee Gardens

Jehangir Hormusjee Ruttonjee, founded first brewery in Hong Kong; founder, Ruttonjee Hospital

Tse Tsan-tai, co-founder, South China Morning Post

B. Wong Tape (1875–1967), merchant, Dunedin, New Zealand

Academics

Tony F. Chan, assistant director, Directorate for Mathematics and Physical Sciences, National Science Foundation; Professor, Computational & Applied Math Group, Department of Mathematics, UCLA. President of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology since 1 September 2009.

Chan Sze Chi, religious scholar and one of the founders of the League of Social Democrats

Chan Wai Yee (陳偉儀), Pro-vice-chancellor / Vice President, Professor and director of School of Biomedical Sciences, Master of CW Chu College, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Edward K.Y. Chen (陳坤耀), vice-chancellor of Lingnan University, Hong Kong.

Jack Cheng (鄭振耀) Pro-vice-chancellor / vice-president, professor of orthopaedics and traumatology, Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Steven N. S. Cheung, well-known economist in Hong Kong, formerly Professor of Economics at the University of Hong Kong.

Cheung Yau-kai (張佑啟), Honorary Professor of Engineering and Special Adviser to the vice-chancellor of The University of Hong Kong; formerly pro-vice-chancellor and acting deputy vice-chancellor.

Chiang Mung, Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State, United States. President of Purdue University and the John A. Edwardson Dean of its College of Engineering. Previously Arthur LeGrand Doty, Professor of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University. 2013 Alan T. Waterman Award recipient.

Fok Tai-fai (霍泰輝), Pro-vice-chancellor, the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Vincent Kwan Pun-Fong (關品方), associate director, HKU Zhejiang Institute of Research and Innovation, Hangzhou; Honorary Professor, The University of Hong Kong.

Queen's College History Museum

History

The Queen's College History Gallery was established in 2013 to illustrate the history of the school and to serve as an archive for preserving and restoring school-related artifacts, documents and relevant publications. To give the 4000-piece strong collection and exhibition a more favourable environment, a new purpose-built museum converted from several classrooms was completed and opened on 23 January 2017. Renamed the Queen's College History Museum, it currently hosts a permanent exhibition entitled "From Gough Street to Causeway Road: Change and Continuity of Queen's College" curated by Old Boys Honorary Curators.

List of Special Exhibitions

2017-18 - Special Collections: Photos, Reports, Publications & Correspondences

2018-19 - The Early Days of Queen's College

2019-20 - 120th Anniversary of The Yellow Dragon

2020-21 - Brotherhood Over a Century: Centenary of the QC Old Boys' Association

2021-22 - Treasures of a School History Museum: 160 Years of Queen's College in 16 Objects