"Nurturing Talents: The Origin and Development of Mass Education in Kowloon" in Talk Series of "Traces of Yau Ma Tei: Life of the Early Chinese People"

Publication Date: 2023-07-12

Organised by Tung Wah Museum and In assoication with Hong Kong Museum of History

Speaker : Dr LEUNG Cho Nga (Part-time Guest Lecturer of Department of Literature and Cultural Studies & Department of Social Sciences, The Education University of Hong Kong)
2023.6.20

"Traces of Yau Ma Tei: Life of the Early Chinese People" Talk Series Second talk："Nurturing Talents: The Origin and Development of Mass Education in Kowloon" 

As early as the 1870s, many Chinese people lived in Yau Ma Tei, most of them working class and boat people. The population continued to grow at the turn of the 20th century, driving the development of Yau Ma Tei and nearby areas. In 1904, Tung Wah Hospital established a free school in Temple Street to provide education for school-age children; subsequently in 1911, Kwong Wah Hospital, the first hospital in Kowloon, was founded in Yau Ma Tei in response to the government's proposal to provide Chinese and Western medical services to Chinese people. Over time, the area has changed substantially as the government’s urban planning efforts called for reclamation works in Yau Ma Tei – its landscape today is much different from the past. Making use of invaluable historical images and archives, this talk series will explore the development of mass education and healthcare services in Yau Ma Tei, share stories of the area, and examine the life of the Chinese people.