King's College, Hong Kong

King's College predecessor was West Point School which was established at West Point next to the West Point Police Station in 1857. The boys' school was a free village school supported by the Government stand[1][2] as well as one of the earliest government schools in Hong Kong.[3][4]

There was such a great impetus to the study of English in the educational aspects in 1878 that Governor Hennessy advocated the enhancement of English Language and English speaking among the natives of Hong Kong. Hence, English teaching was introduced in the course of the year in Saiyingpun School and finally the establishment of a Method Class with a view to train the Chinese teachers of English for employment in the Village Schools was begun. The Acting Inspector of Schools stated that he felt confident that it would sooner or later be found necessary to enlarge the teaching staff in order to meet the demand for English teaching.[5] Therefore, Saiyingpun School was established in 1879 because of the above policy. Indeed, among all the present government schools, it had the longest school history amounted to 159 years. West Point referred to the location of the shore off the Pokfulam Road and Queen's Road West, approximately the junction of Western Street and Des Voeux Road West near the Western Police Station.

The first Principal started from 1859[6] was Li King-chau,[7] who died in 1870.[8] Cha Lun-kok[9] and Chu Atuk[10] were the teachers. The latter was appointed to teach English in the school and also taught in Taipingshan Government School. The government recognised the Punti school had always been a very good school that led by the school master Mr. Li during the ten years.[11] The school had been admirably taught and its academic work was well done. Although Geography as well as Composition was the weak subjects compared with other schools, all other aspects were very satisfactory.[12] The Saiyingpun Punti School ranked as good in 1877.[13]

The number of boys was 62 in 1859, separated into four classes.[14] Girl students were admitted since 1868 in Punti whereas 1872 in Hakka section. In Punti section, the number increased a lot from the year of 1876 to 1878. The number of students in Punti section reaches 100 in the year of 1876.[15] According to the statics recorded in the Hong Kong Government Gazettes and Blue Books from 1857 to 1879, the total number of students in the school increased steadily to 200 students approximately in the last few years. The students' attendance was also quite good during the years.

The hours of tuition are from 6 to 8 am, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 4:30 pm.[16] Hakka section was established in 1866 while the original one renamed as Punti section, the school divided into two sections respectively since then.[17]

The Chinese Elementary Books, their Classics, Geography and the English Language are taught by competent native teachers.[18] Moreover, several kinds of books are required to study in the government schools are as follows. Native books including Yau Hok, Trimetrical Classic, Thousand Character Book, Four Books, Five Classics and Chinese Grammar. Foreign books for instance New Testament, Muirhead's Geography, Do. History of England, Sacred History, Trimetrical Classic as well as Ten Commandments. English books for example Serious of Lessons, Morrison's Chinese-English Grammar, Circle of Knowledge and Geography.[19] The Punti section increased from the fifth in 1868[20] to the second two years[21] after in the order of efficiency between the government schools. The Hakka section was improving during the first several years of establishment.[22]

In 1872, the school name changed from West Point School to Saiyingpun School.[23] It relocated to 35–41 Third Street in 1879. It was one of the first batches of boys' government schools that provided junior Chinese and English education in various subjects. The first Principal (formally entitled "Master"), Mr. Fung Fu, received education in the US and was deeply influenced by the development of democracy in the West. During 1905, Mr. Fung held the post of a translator at the China Daily, a newspaper founded by local intellect Chen Shao-bai, Dr. Sun Yat Sen's dearest friend in his juvenile years.

Upon establishment, Saiyingpun School provided education from the eighth grade to the fourth grade (equivalent to primary five to secondary three nowadays). The then-Inspector of Schools, Dr. Eitel, allowed parents to choose between letting their children be taught both English and Chinese or exclusively English. Among 61 students in 1879, 46 chose the latter. After a few months, with the exception of one student, all students came under an English-medium education.

According to the Government Notification in 1880, the appraisal of the Education Bureau reported that Saiyingpun School had an outstanding performance, and thus was classified as "Rank 1". In 1880, Saiyingpun School operated with 74 students; by 1891 the total number of students amounted to 146. The campus in Third Street was no longer able to accommodate the increasing number of students. The school was relocated to 119 High Street.

According to "College Years of the Father of the Republic" written by Professor Lo Heung-lam, Kong Wing-wen and Lau Sz Fuk, enrolled in the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese in 1887, the same year as Dr. Sun Yat Sen started his college life there. According to an article published in the 2002nd issue of the Christian Weekly, it stated that Kong and Lau used to be students in "Saiyingpun Fung Fu School". Lau graduated in 1895 with a degree in western medicine. The Master of Saiyingpun School between 1879 and 1903 was Mr. Fung Fu. With reference to his term of office, it is believed that the "Saiyingpun Fung Fu School" mentioned in the essay refers exactly to Saiyingpun School, that is currently King's College. If this assumption is correct, it is convinced to say that Lau Sz Fuk is among the earliest Kingsians ever to study western medicine.

In 1902, Mr. W. H. Williams took over as the Master of Saiyingpun School. In June 1905, Mr. Alfred Morris replaced Mr. W. H. Williams as the Master, the latter was transferred to Victoria British School earlier in January that year. During Master Morris' tenure, the number of students rose in 1906 to 490[24] and the school campus was inadequate to facilitate studies and extra-curriculum activities of the students. In the Report of the Inspector of Schools published in 1905, Saiyingpun School students were rated "excellent" in English writing. According to the 1905 Report of the Inspector of Schools, after Master Morris took office, he immediately made the school start early even during the winter time to ensure students had enough time for extra-curricular activities like visits and swimming in the afternoon.

There are only fragments about the subject curriculum of Saiyingpun School from the Hong Kong Government Administrative Reports. For instance, in the 1922 Report, it was stated that students in Saiyingpun School excelled in map reading, handwriting, English conversation and composition. For extra-curricular activities, apart from volleyball, football, swimming and picnic activities, the 1922 Report stated that students were charity enthusiasts as well. Students raised a total of $800 for the Swatow Relief Fund. The scout team also helped Charitable Association to raise a total of $11,000. Students also received recognition in their extra-curriculum activities, for example, the Ambulance Division got Distinction of Winning Ralph Shield(Report of Director of Education).

In 1921, the government reserved $50,000 for the construction of the new school. The chosen location was 63A Bonham Road.[25][26] According to the Heritage Appraisal of King's College on the AMO's webpage, the school was given an honourable new name, "King's College", named after reigning King George V of the United Kingdom. When the construction was completed in March 1926, the seventh and the eighth classes first moved into the new school. Then in September, the whole school was relocated. From then on, when students completed the fourth class and obtained a qualification from the Junior Graduation Examination, they could be promoted to the third class in King's College instead of having to be transferred to the senior levels at Central School.[27]

The college now stands on what was once holy ground, being the site of a Roman Catholic church named St. Anthony's built in 1892 'ex voto'.[Note 1] St. Anthony's was later demolished and replaced by an eponymous church in Pokfulam Road, which still stands today. Beside St Anthony's stood the Sacred Heart Chapel (1864–1892). This was built a few years before St Anthony's was built by the architect Mr. M.A. D'Aquino, and blessed in March 1879.[Note 2] The land jointly occupied by the church and the chapel was named Inland Lot 755, and was the property of the Roman Catholic Church. Sometime after the construction of St Anthony's, probably because having two churches in such close proximity was seen as an inefficient use of holy land, the Sacred Heart Chapel was converted into an orphanage and school under the care of the Canossian Sisters – the Ling Yuet Sin Kindergarten of the present day. In 1920 the prologue to the school's story was written. It took the form of a requisition order by government authorities for a portion of Inland Lot 755, the section where the Church of St Anthony stood.

School Garden.(Before war)

The Grand Entrance(before war). The destroyed bell tower and oriental glazed tiles roof can be seen.

School Library with its associated museum.(Before war)

In 1923, foundations were laid and construction work began. Site formation, the foundation works and construction of retaining walls were undertaken by Messrs. Foo Loong & Co. in the same year and the superstructure was erected by Messrs. Kin Lee & Co. in 1924. After three years of construction, the works were completed in 1926. The Saiyingpun School moved to the new campus in the same year and was upgraded to King's College and accepted. In September, the qualified pupils from Saiyingpun School transferred to the new college. The College was named in honour of King George V. A portrait of the king is exhibited in the college's building.[28] The governor reported king's college as one of the chief schools.

The Hong Kong Administrative Report of 1926 described King's College as "one of the finest and most modern of school buildings with 29 classrooms, staff and common rooms, the latest sanitary arrangements, hat and cloak rooms, a museum and library, an art room, physics and chemistry laboratories, a workshop, swimming pool and dressing rooms, gymnasium, covered playground, fire fighting appliances and the usual complement of storerooms and offices".

Four months later, from February to December, the building was commandeered for use as a military camp-cum-hospital for the British Shanghai Defence Force dispatched to protect British subjects in the British Section of the Shanghai Treaty Port.[29] In 1928, the building was returned to King's College, which was officially opened by the Governor, Cecil Clementi, on 5 March.

Built around the three sides of a square, the building comprised a north wing, a south wing and an east wing. The tower above the main entrance dignified the general appearance of King's College whereas the dainty school garden further enhanced its beauty.

There was a museum housed in the library and the layout of classrooms was somewhat different from now. There were 29 classrooms, accommodating 30 students each, a playground and a swimming pool. Each floor had a cloakroom with enough space for hats, umbrellas, and baskets. The laboratories were then on the top floor of the north wing, above the gymnasium. On the middle floor of the same wing was the art room and library. The swimming pool was filled with filtered water. The playground consisted of a jumping pit and one court each for basketball, volleyball and tennis.

Each pupil was allotted a numbered desk and the total capacity was 720 students. The school year began on 1 November and ended on 31 July. School fee for Classes 8, 7, 6, 5 and 4 was $60 per annum, payable in 12 instalments of $5 each, and $120 per annum, $10 for each instalment, for Classes 3,2 and 1. In addition, each pupil was charged a medical fee for $3 per year. From 1926 to 1930, it was a full-day school but thereafter changed to a half-day one, with activities in the afternoon. The first issue of the College magazine appeared in 1935, shortly after William Kay became Headmaster.

During the first fifteen years, the school followed the old system of class organisation with eight classes. Classes 8 and 7 (primary 5 & 6 respectively today) were primary ones, Class 6 equivalent to the present Secondary 1, and Class 2 the present Secondary 5. The enrolment stood at 840 boys. Above eighty percentages of staff came from British. Most of the teachers graduated from the two leading ancient universities in England – University of Cambridge and University of Oxford. King's College was one of the few well-developed English colleges.

While the school was enjoying its prosperous days, the Pacific War broke out after the Pearl Harbour Incident in December 1941. King's College was used as a first aid station, having been fully equipped as such by the first principal, A. Morris St. John's Ambulance. When Hong Kong was occupied by the Japanese on Christmas Day, King's College was used as a military mule and horse stable for the Japanese Army. Teachers like Messrs, Coxhead and Ferguson were taken war prisoners, while the principal, Mr. Wallington, was sent to the prison in Stanley. Mr. Coxhead was later sent to a labour camp in Japan.

The war did immense damage to Hong Kong and King's College was not spared. All normal activities of the school came to a halt. The school building was virtually destroyed by looters during the last two weeks immediately after the withdrawal of the Japanese Army, and only an empty red brick skeleton of the building remained.

In 1945, some former teachers led by J.J. Ferguson and some old boys of King's College, revived the school. Subsequently, it moved back to Hollywood Road as Hollywood Road A.M. School.

Before the Japanese Occupation, King's College was a joint primary and secondary school. After the Second World War was over, the school campus had to be rebuilt due to the wartime destruction. On 18 September 1950, it was reopened with a new first floor and operated as a two-sessional primary school, namely King's College Primary School (KCPS) for a year. It had to share its premises with Northcote Training College Attached School. Mr. H. T. Woo was Headmaster. In 1951, the government gave a green light on additional buildings for King's College and decided to restore its status as a secondary school.

In September 1951, King's College was rehabilitated with C. W. Sargison as principal. Then for the first time in the school's history, girls were admitted, most of whom were promoted from the Primary School. Total enrolment of pupils was 640. Being a specialist in chemistry, Mr. Sargison had played a very important part in making King's College pre-eminent in sciences. Such image of a 'Science School' had branded King's ever since.

The building was shattered and destroyed in the war, and was later restored with additional portions. The first phase of re-development of the school buildings was completed by 1953 with the addition of two laboratories, a Preparation Room, a lecture Room, an art Room and five classrooms in the South and East Wings. The enrolment figure soared to 750. However, during the next five years, owing to slow pace of construction after the war of school buildings, King's College had again to share the premises successively with Grantham Training College and Queen Elizabeth School and operated only on a bi-sessional basis. It was not until 1960 that King's College started to be the sole user of the premises.[30]

In 1954, Mr. C. W. Sargison was transferred to King George V School. He was succeeded by Mr. F.K. Leung MBE, an old boy of Saiyingpun School and a pupil of A. Morris, who made history by being the first Chinese principal of a government secondary school in Hong Kong. The school had restored the house system of prewar days. Instead of calling them North, South, East, and West, they are named after four former principals – Morris, Kay, Wallington, and Ferguson.

In the same year, an extra Secondary Upper Six was operated to make places available for students who planned to sit for the revised Hong Kong University Matriculation Examination. There were nineteen classes ranging from Form 2 to Upper 6 in total. Facilities of the school provided for the training of students doing the Hong Kong University Diploma of Education and of students from the Northcote Training College. The subjects taught are English, Chinese, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, History, Civics, Art, Music and Physical Training. In 1955, witnessed the first group of King's graduates, entering University after the war.

The pressing need for further expansion of the school finally received a positive response from the government. An additional floor was added to the South Wing and the two floors above the gymnasium were restored. Additionally, an extra floor was added on top of the East Wing in the front of the Hall gallery, which later became the library. The final stage of construction work was completed by December 1959 and fitting out of the new premises followed in the next few months.[31]

It was during Coxhead's tenure of office (1960–1967) that King's College entered a new stage of alteration and progress.[32] In 1963 Secondary Lower Six Arts classes were opened after a hiatus of several years. This restored the balance between Science and Arts classes though the demand for entrance to Science or Medicine classes was still greater. From 1966 onwards, girls were admitted only in Secondary 6.

In 1967 H.W. Clarke succeeded Coxhead as principal and it was during the next three years that King's witnessed a climax of academic attainment.[33] In 1968 64 distinctions were obtained by King's College students in the Hong Kong University Matriculation Examination, an unprecedented achievement.[34] By 1971, D.R. Madan was appointed principal and King's students continued to achieve magnificent feats in both academic and extracurricular fields.[35][36]

In October 1977 K.F. Chu, an old boy who had graduated in 1938, became principal.[37]

The fountain of the school garden was repaired and its pedestal was turned into a pond for the breeding of goldfish and various other species of carp. A Bauhinia tree was planted in the northern corner of the school garden while the palm tree planted in 1971 had grown to 3 storeys tall. In April 1986, a time capsule was buried in the school garden.[38][39][40][41][42]

At the 60th-anniversary concert of the King's College Harmonica Band

In September 1986, W.T. Poon succeeded Chu Ka Fai as principal and the entire enrolment soared to 1200. Poon was famed throughout the Education Department for being his lively and enthusiastic personality. With him came some great improvements in the school. A public address system was installed in the playground, which proved to be effective in developing a greater sense of unity in students. Under Poon's leadership, the students won the International Mathematics Olympiad Championship.[43]

For the first time in the history of the school, study tours to Singapore and Malaysia were organised with part of the funds sponsored by the King's College Old Boy Association. Since then, study tours have proven popular with King's students. In March 1992 the first K.C. Student Union was formed after a democratic election.[44]

In the transition year of 1997 in which the Handover took place, King's College was provided a chance to renew its oath to play a major role in the community of Hong Kong and China. Dr. Simon Li Fook Sean, and old boy of King's College, received the Grand Bauhinia Medal (GMB) from the HKSAR Government in acknowledgement of his stupendous contributions to Hong Kong and China. Dr. Li was among the first recipients of this award.[45]

Following the appointment of a new principal, Mr. Ho Yue Shun, in 1998, King's College has undergone massive changes, especially on the information technology front. King's was enlisted as one of the few secondary school participants in a pilot scheme for the application of IT in education. A sum of HK$6M was granted for the acquisition of hardware and the installation of King's College's own intranet. An Information Technology Open Day was launched, which was followed by the launch of the school website, school intranet and a renovated IT room complete with modern computer facilities. Professor Robert F. Curl, 1996 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, visited King's College and met the senior students on 9 May 2002. On 29 October 2003, Professor Jean-Marie Lehn, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, visited King's College and met the senior students. In 2010, Mr. Ho Yue Shun was succeeded by Mrs. Chan Woo Mei-hou. King's College is one of the few surviving pre-war government school buildings in Hong Kong.

A stone carving that depicts the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom displayed on the red brick wall above the college's main entrance. It is the only royal coat of arms remaining in Hong Kong. The shield is quartered, depicting in the first and fourth quarters the three passant guardant lions of England; in the second, the rampant lion and double tressure flory-counterflory of Scotland; and in the third, a harp for Ireland. The crest is a statant guardant lion wearing the St Edward's Crown, himself on another representation of that crown. The dexter supporter is a likewise crowned English lion; the sinister, a Scottish unicorn. The coat features both the motto of English monarchs, Dieu et mon droit (God and my right), and the motto of the Order of the Garter, Honi soit qui mal y pense (shame upon him who thinks evil of it) on a representation of the Garter behind the shield.

The school building has undergone several extensive refurbishment and alterations over the years. During the Japanese Occupation, most part of the swimming pool, including its filter system, was damaged. Repair and reconstruction works to the school building were carried out after the Japanese Occupation. The bell tower and chimneys at the entrance block were removed in 1950 to make way for the erection of an extra floor to the South and East Wings. Reconstruction of the swimming pool was arranged from 1971 to 1972 with funding from the Old Boys' Association. The school garden was also refurbished and the fountain was reconstructed and upgraded around 2004. The authenticity of the school building has been compromised to some extent but its main architecture characters still remain without affecting its high architectural value.

• Public Work 1925
• Education Report 1926 (1)
• Education Report 1926 (2)
• General Report 1927
• Public Work 1927