"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"
June 2023
Organised by Tung Wah Museum and In assoication with Hong Kong Museum of History
"Traces of Yau Ma Tei: Life of the Early Chinese People" Talk Series
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.
Second talk："Nurturing Talents: The Origin and Development of Mass Education in Kowloon" (Delivered in hybrid mode)
In the first half of the 20th century, Hong Kong's private study halls flourished. Kowloon College was established with funds from Ho Tung to provide education for children of different ethnic groups in 1902. Amidst objection from British merchants and government officials, however, the school was converted into Kowloon British School. In 1906, Yau Ma Tei Government School was completed as the first government school in Kowloon. In 1880, Tung Wah Hospital opened the first Man Mo Temple free school on Hong Kong Island and in 1904, it established a free school in Yau Ma Tei to provide education for impoverished children. Meanwhile, from 1920s to 1930s other schools were set up including Diocesan Boys' / Girls' School, Wah Yan College, St Mary's Canossian College and Lai Chack Middle School, which are still in operation today, and others that had closed, such as Tak Yan School, Tak Ming Middle School and Tai Tung Middle School. The founding of the schools shows people at the time had already begun to value their children's education.
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)
Date : 10 June 2023 (Sat)
Time : 3-5 pm
Venue : Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Museum of History (100 Chatham Road South, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon)
* Free admission, first come, first served.
* The lecture will be conducted in Cantonese and delivered in hybrid mode on Hong Kong Museum of History Youtube Channel . For details, please visit the website of Hong Kong Museum of History.
* Subject to the consent from the speakers, video archive will be available on Hong Kong Museum of History online platform "Talking History, e-GO!", please press here for further details.
