Clementi Secondary School

Clementi Secondary School (Chinese: 金文泰中學) is a secondary institution in Fortress Hill, North Point, Hong Kong. Founded by the 17th British Governor of Hong Kong and the 20th Governor of the Straits Settlements, Sir Cecil Clementi, the school has the longest history in using Chinese (with specialization in Classical Chinese) as the primary medium of instruction in Hong Kong. Besides the strong emphasis on classical Chinese, the school was also instructed, since its founding, to provide a well-rounded English education to its pupils due to its strong ties with the British colonial government. The British national anthem was sung and the Union Jack was displayed continuously until the handover of Hong Kong to China. Students and Alumni of the school are commonly known as "Clementians".

This article is about the Clementi Secondary School in Hong Kong. For other uses, see Clementi (disambiguation).

Clementi Secondary School
Location
30 Fortress Hill Road
North Point,

Hong Kong
Coordinates
Information
TypePublic (Chinese: 官立)
MottoLetters, ethics, the devotion of soul, and truthfulness.
Established1 March 1926
PrincipalMrs. Fung Lai Miu-yee
Number of studentsApprox. 1,000 students
Medium of instructionChinese and English
Campus Size2.74 acre
School MagazineThe Voice (鐸聲)
Websiteclementi.edu.hk
Clementi Secondary School
Traditional Chinese金文泰中學
Simplified Chinese金文泰中学

The motto of the school is cited from the Analects of Confucius, "Letters, Ethics, Devotion of soul, and Truthfulness." (《論語．述而》:「子以四教：文、行、忠、信。」) The school is highly regarded in Hong Kong as one of the most selective and prestigious secondary institutions for its fine academic standards, especially in scientific subjects. The school has produced one Nobel Prize winner in Physics and several world-renowned scientists. It is also the alma mater for a number of notable academics, writers, police commissioners, and public administrators of Hong Kong. The school is also famous for its historical connection with the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

History

The Governor of Hong Kong, Cecil Clementi, who had a profound interest in the Chinese language, decided to establish a school using Chinese as the main medium of instruction. In 1926, Government Vernacular Middle School (官立漢文中學) was founded. Government Vernacular Middle School is the first government school to use Chinese as the main medium of instruction. Li King Hong, the then-Chinese language inspector of schools, was appointed as the first principal of the school.

During World War II, the school suspended its operations under the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong. After the war, the school was renamed Government Vernacular Senior Middle School (官立漢文高級中學). It was renamed again in 1951 to Clementi Middle School (金文泰中學) and in 1988 to Clementi Secondary School, after the governor.

The school has been relocated several times:

  • 1926-1927 26-28 Hospital Road (now site of Lok Sin Tong Leung Kau Kui College)
  • 1927-1941 Pok Fu Lam Road
  • 1945-1946 Bridge Street (now Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong Bridge Centre)
  • 1946-1948 Wood Road (formerly Government Trade School Building c. 1937)
  • 1948-1961 28 Kennedy Road

It has been at the current site of 30 Fortress Hill Road since September 23, 1961.

The school principal is currently Mrs. Fung Lai Miu-yee, who succeeded Ms. Li Sui-wah in 2013.

Notable alumni

Politicians, government officials, and legislators

Academics
  • Prof. Daniel Chee Tsui, physicist, a graduate of the university preparatory class of Clementi. Nobel Physics Prize Laureate for his contributions to the discovery of the fractional quantum Hall Effect.
  • Arthur LeGrand Doty Professor of Electrical Engineering at Princeton University, an adjunct senior research scientist in the Department of Physics at Columbia University
  • Prof. Sau Lan Wu, physicist. Enrico Fermi and Vilas Professor of Physics at University of Wisconsin-Madison and winner of 1995 High Energy and Particle Physics Prize of the European Physical Society for "the first evidence of three-jet events in E+E-collisions at PETRA"
  • Prof. Wong Cheuk-Yin, Physicist, a fellow of American Physical Society, former chairman of Overseas Chinese Physics Association, U.S.A., now working at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • Prof. Ng Cheuk-Yiu, Chemist, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, University of California at Davis
  • Prof. Leung Pak-wah Edwin, medalist of Ellis Island Medal of Honor and Professor of Asian Studies at Seton Hall University, U.S.A.

Business
  • Peggy Cherng, Chinese-American billionaire businesswoman and electrical engineer
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