Clementi Secondary School

Clementi Secondary School (Chinese: 金文泰中學) is a pre-tertiary 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 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. 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 "Clementian".

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 standard especially in Science subjects. The school has produced one Nobel Prize winner in Physics and a number of world renowned scientists. It is also the alma matar for a number of notable academics, writers, MPs, 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 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 medium of instruction. Li King Hong, the then-Chinese language inspector of schools, was appointed 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.

As year after years, facts realize that people at world wide recognizing that Chinese civilization is important as predication at the time the initial establishing of the school, for the people are in facing the western and eastern civilization both, heavily, in the hostorical preponderance.

That school will not ignore the quantum that of the west and of the east, so it never igores its mission of English education in balancing with Chinese subjects.

The school has been relocated several times and its current site at Fortress Hill Road was established on 23 September 1961.

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

Notable alumni

Politicians, government officials, and legislators

• Sir Kenneth Fung Ping-fan, Former Senior Chinese Unofficial Member in Urban Council, Executive Council and Legislative Council.
• Tsang Yam Pui, Former Commissioner of Hong Kong Police Force.
• Lee Ming-kwai, Former Commissioner of Hong Kong Police Force.
• Leung Kwok-hung, Politician, Member of Hong Kong Legislative Council, Chairman of the League of Social Democrats.
• Tam Goossen, Politician, New Democratic Party of Canada.
• Eddie Ng Hak-kim, Secretary for Education of the Hong Kong Government, Member of the Executive Council, Former Chairman of Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA)

Academics

• Prof. Daniel Chee Tsui, Physicist, Graduate of 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, 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 for three-jet events in e+e- collisions at PETRA"
• Prof. Wong Cheuk-Yin, Physicist, 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.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Clementi Secondary School, Hong Kong.

• Official website

Coordinates: 22°17′15″N 114°11′41″E / 22.2874°N 114.1947°E / 22.2874; 114.1947